The Use of LC-MS in Studies of Migration from Food Contact Materials: A Review of Present Applications and Future Possibilities

Chromatographers rightly regard Mass Spectrometry (MS) as more than just a detection method. It is, in fact, another separation technique, and it is orthogonal to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), that is, it relies on a different physical property of the analyte to effect separation. Although HPLC relies on the analyte affinity for a stationary phase, MS relies on the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of ions derived from the compounds of interest. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has become an indispensable tool for problem solving in virtually all analytical fields requiring "information-rich" chemical analysis. In the next decade, the LC-MS instrument market is expected to grow at more than twice the rate of the broader instrument market and will probably surpass gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as the leader of the so-called hyphenated techniques. The aim of this review is to facilitate the growth, efficiency, and discussion of the use of LC-MS in studies of chemical migration from food packaging materials and other materials intended to come into contact with food.