Mass Spectrometry Screening Workflows for Polyolefin Packaging Migration Dossiers
Polyolefin migration dossiers require dual GC-MS and LC-HRMS non-target screening backed by class-specific surrogate quantification to clear customs audits.
NIAS Analysis
Meaning
Systematic identification and quantification of substances in a material that were not intentionally added during the manufacturing process. Performing nias analysis is essential for polymers used in food packaging or pharmaceutical containers to detect degradation products or contaminants. This process uses chromatography and mass spectrometry to scan for unknown chemical species.
Source Identification
Impurities can arise from side reactions during polymerisation or from the breakdown of antioxidants during high temperature extrusion and compounding. Through nias analysis, a chemist distinguishes between intentional additives and unwanted side products like oligomers or catalyst residues. Identifying these sources is the first step in refining the production process to improve the purity of the material and ensure it meets the requirements for sensitive medical applications.
Regulatory Compliance
Safety agencies require a full toxicological assessment of any substance that migrates into food at measurable levels. Using nias analysis provides the data needed to prove that a new resin formulation does not pose a health risk to consumers. The scan must be sensitive enough to detect molecules at the parts per billion level to satisfy modern safety standards.
Recycled Material
Post consumer resins often contain a wide variety of unknown chemicals from their previous use. Conducted on regrind batches, nias analysis reveals whether the cleaning process was successful in removing detergents or previous contents. This testing ensures that the circular economy does not compromise the safety of the final consumer product.