Abstract: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to determine the migration of the isomers of diaminotoluene (TDA) and diaminodiphenylmethane (MDA). The migration levels of TDA and MDA from 10 samples of laminated food packaging bags to 4% acetic acid were investigated. In addition, salting-out and sugaring-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction combined with LC-MS was used to explore the effect of sodium chloride and sucrose on the migration of 2,4’-MDA and 2,2’-MDA from laminated food packaging bags to 10% ethanol and water. The results showed that 4,4’-MDA, 2,4’-MDA and 2,2’-MDA were detected in four samples, and the total migration of MDA in one of the samples exceeded 10 μg/kg. The presence of salt and sugar had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on the migration of 2,4’-MDA and 2,2’-MDA to 10% ethanol and water. The migration levels decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing salt and sugar contents in food simulants (2, 5, 10, 15, 20 g/100 mL). Adjustment of food simulants may be needed for packaging material migration tests on foods with high salt or sugar content.

Key words: diaminodiphenylmethane; high-salt foods; high-sugar foods; laminated food packaging bags; migration; food simulants