ABSTRACT
Phthalates are a group of diesters of ortho-phthalic acid. Diesters of para-phthalic acid and meta-phthalic acid are also produced, but they are not the phthalates that are commonly referred to in the literature. The applications of phthalates in products vary depending on the molecular weights of the phthalate selected, with higher molecular weight phthalates being primarily used as plasticizers to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, and lower molecular weight phthalates as solvents to hold colour and scent in various cosmetics and personal care products. Some phthalates are also used in food contact materials and can migrate from food contact materials into foods, especially fatty foods, since they are not chemically bound to the polymer. Although structurally di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) is different from the phthalates, phthalates and DEHA are both lipophilic and thus have been analysed together in some studies to investigate their occurrence in foods. Like phthalates, DEHA is also widely used as a plasticizer in food contact materials, such as PVC food wrapping or cling films, and PVC gaskets of lids for glass jars. Like other plasticizers, DEHA is not chemically bound to the polymer and can also migrate from food contact materials to foods. Dairy foods are a type of foods produced from or containing milk, and they are an important food group among the foods consumed by all population, especially children. Due to their large octanol–water partition coefficient (KOW) values or high fat solubility, phthalates and DEHA are found primarily in fat-containing foods, and thus, dairy foods have been among the important food groups for human exposure to phthalates and DEHA in various countries. This chapter provides an updated overview on the occurrence of DEHA and phthalates in foods, dairy foods in particular, and development and issues of the analytical methods since the last edition.
