The Elution of Acrylonitrile from Polyacrylonitrile-Containers into Food-Simulating Solvents

Abstract

In order to examine how much acrylonitrile (AN) is eluted from containers having different residual AN (RAN) concentrations in the material thereof into alcohol and carbonated beverages, and in order to examine the influence of different container volumes on the elution, AN eluted from two kinds of PAN containers (1, 000ml and 500ml) was investigated at 40°C for 5 to 90 days, using food-simulating solvents: water, 4% acetic acid and 8% ethanol. The results of the analysis showed that the amount of AN eluted from the PAN container of 500ml was more than that from the larger container. The amount of AN eluted from the PAN containers was decreased in the order of 8% ethanol, 4% acetic acid, and water. The amount of AN eluted from the PAN container of 1, 000ml having a RAN concentration of 0.5μg/g in the material was below the lower limit of detection under the severe storage conditions of 40°C and 90 days. The amount of AN eluted from the PAN container of 500ml having a RAN concentration of 0.2μg/g in the material was also below the lower limit of detection under the same storage conditions. It is possible to predict whether the amount of AN eluted from a PAN container that has a known volume and inner surface area will be below the lower limit of detection or not, when the residual AN in the material is analyzed. The lower limit of detection of eluted AN was 5ng/ml.