Emmanouil Dimitrios Tsochatzis

• Ph.D
• Scientific Officer at EFSA European Food Safety Authority

In the context of entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, EFSA updated the scientific guidance to assist applicants in the preparation of applications for the authorisation or for the modification of an existing authorisation of a ‘post‐consumer mechanical PET’ recycling process (as defined in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616) intended t...

Wine quality and safety is affected by the food contact materials (FCMs) used. These materials are expected to protect the beverage from any chemical, physical, or biological hazard and preserve its composition stable throughout its shelf-life. However, the migration of chemical substances from FCMs is a known phenomenon and requires monitoring. Th...

Polyphenol partitioning during mechanical (cold-pressing) and physiological (digestion) extraction at the individual polyphenol and subclass level was investigated. UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis yielded a comprehensive identification of 45 polyphenols whose semi-quantification revealed a hierarchical clustering strongly determined by polyphenol str...

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) pervade both the environment and the food chain, originating from the degradation of plastic materials from various sources. Their ubiquitous presence raises concerns for ecosystem safety, as well as the health of animals and humans. While evidence suggests their infiltration into mammalian and human tissu...

This work explores the definition and characterization of synthetic polymeric oligomers, chemical substances comprising a small number of repeated organic molecules. It highlights the lack of clarity surrounding the range of repeated units that can be classified as an oligomer, and how this definition is field-dependent. The present study focused o...

Polyethylene terephthalate is considered one of the most used and approved recycled plastic polymer as food contact materials (FCM); however, the fundamental details arising from the recycled content of PET trays in relation to processing conditions or extent of recycling are not well understood. In the present work, the presence and migration of d...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Rekis (EU register number RECYC311), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V‐leaN) technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collecte...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Guangxi Wuzhou Guolong Recyclable (EU register number RECYC310), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V‐leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fl...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Intco Malaysia (EU register number RECYC309), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V‐leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly origina...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process INCOM RESOURCES RECOVERY (TIANJIN) (EU register number RECYC312), which uses the Buhler technology. The input material consists of hot washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post‐con...

Lupin is a promising protein source with a high protein concentration. Breeding efforts have resulted in the development of varieties low in quinolizidine alkaloids. The objective of this work was to evaluate 22 different blue lupin genotypes for a high protein concentration and low content of antinutritional alkaloids. These genotypes were grown u...

Colloidal delivery systems improve the oral bioavailability of lipid-soluble bioactives, providing protection throughout the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, the fate of a model bioactive, curcumin, was followed during in vitro digestion and absorption, using state of the art INFOGEST in vitro models. Curcumin was loaded in zein nanoparticles...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Shangrao Bisource Technology (EU register number RECYC306), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post‐cons...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Ambiental de Plasticos Recyclapet (EU register number RECYC304), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Acepolymer (EU register number RECYC305), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post‐consumer PET container...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Poly Recycling (EU register number RECYC307), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post‐consumer PET conta...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Veolia Huafei Polymer Technology (Zhejiang) (EU register numberRECYC292), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate)...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Loreco Plast Recyclage (EU register number RECYC290), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process CPE (EU register number RECYC291), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected...

Oligomers are a particular category of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) that may be present in food contact materials (FCMs), such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and consequently migrate into foods. Here, an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-qTOF-MS) method was developed for t...

The chemical safety of representative polysaccharide films made with pea starch, organocatalytic acetylated pea starch and pectin was investigated at different migration conditions (20°C/10days, 70°C/2h) using two official simulants signifying hydrophilic (simulant A, 10% ethanol) or lipophilic (simulant D1, 50% ethanol) foods. Migrating semi-volat...

There is an emerging interest in evaluating the presence of microplastic (MP) and nanoplastic (NP) residues in food. Despite their potential threat to human health, there is still a need for harmonized methods to evaluate and quantify their presence. Incomplete polymerization may occur during the production of plastic. Conversely, oligomers are for...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Steinbeis PolyVert (EU register number RECYC280), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA Basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes, mainly or...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Loreco Plast Recyclage (EU register number RECYC278), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer P...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Renovapet (EU register number RECYC271), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input consists of hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Creative Recycling World Company (EU register number RECYC279), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Plastipak Iberia (EU register number RECYC268), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating fr...

A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords: Polyamide (PA6/PA66) PA6/PA66 monomers and cyclic oligomers UHPLC-QTOF-MS analysis Migration Testing ionic strength effect A B S T R A C T Polyamides (PAs) are types of polymers used as food contact materials (FCMs) and articles such as kitchen utensils and packaging material. While caprolactam is an EU regulated sub...

Polyesters (PES) and polystyrene (PS) are among the most used plastics in the production of food contact materials (FCM). The existence of compounds that could migrate from these materials into food requires a constant analytical control to ensure the safety of consumers due to consumption. It also implies a significant research challenge for their...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Poly Recycling (EU register number RECYC262), which uses the VACUNITE (EREMA basic and Polymetrix SSP V-leaN) technology. The input is ■■■■■ and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected po...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Ester Industries (EU register number RECYC261) using the recoSTAR PET FG technology. The input is hot washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, mainly bott...

Plant protein fractions are complex systems that could represent a versatile platform of building blocks for novel foods. The objective of this work was to evaluate potential common principles leading to anisotropy formation during wet extrusion by comparing different protein concentrates/isolates. Commercially available protein fractions (>63% pro...

The food supply chain contains several steps that start with the farm and end with the forks of consumers [...]

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process LOGIFRUIT (EU register number RECYC260). The input consists of pre-washed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) crates from closed and controlled food distribution loops. The process separates crates by material...

Abstract The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Cajas y Palets en una Economia Circular (CAPEC) (EU register number RECYC242). The input consists of crates made of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) originating from closed and controlled product lo...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) assessed the safety of the recycling process Bangladesh Petrochemical Company (EU register number RECYC246), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input material is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collect...

The raising consumer demand for plant-derived proteins has led to an increased production of alternative protein ingredients with varying processing histories. In this study, we used a commercially available potato protein ingredient with a nutritionally valuable amino acid profile and high technological functionality to evaluate if the digestibili...

Dichloroanilines and phthalic acid esters (phthalates) are food contaminants, stable in solution even at high temperatures, which exhibit considerable toxic effects, while acting as endocrine disruptors. In the present study, a quick and easy UHPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneously analyzing two dichloroanilines (3,4-DCA and 3,5-DCA) and six phthalat...

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a polymer deemed safe to be mechanically recycled and used in food contact applications. Its recycled form (rPET) can be used as a food contact material (FCM). Although this is an obvious positive step towards a more circular economy, the development of an appropriate analytical toolbox to experimentally assess a...

The present study reports the biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) by mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) following different feeding regimes. Changes in lipids and protein were studied to evaluate possible differences in the growth and metabolic pathways of the insects depending on the diets. Thermo-gravimetric analysis of the excretions (frass) revealed a...

Food contact materials (FCM) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) used extensively in food packaging may contain cyclic oligomers which may migrate into food and thus cause toxic effects on human health. A simple, fast, and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method quadrupole time-of-flight mass...

Polystyrene (PS) is a plastic polymer extensively used for food packaging. PS is difficult to decompose and has low recycling rates, resulting in its accumulation in the environment, in the form of microplastic particles causing pollution and harming oceans and wildlife. Degradation of PS by mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) has been suggested as a poss...

Thermal processes are widely used in small molecule chemical analysis and metabolomics for derivatization, vaporization, chromatography, and ionization, especially in gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). An optimized derivatization protocol has been successfully applied using multiple isotope labelled analytical internal standards of selec...

The article describes the existing challenges and limitations on analysis identification and quantification of substances migrating from Food Contact Materials following migration testing or after extraction from the plastic material.

The present study investigated the biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) plastic by mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) on different diets followed by untargeted screening of larvae gut intestine tissue and frass (manure and feed residuals) to investigate the existence of polymer-generated organic residues. Three different diets, consisting of PS, rolled barl...

A simple and fast method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 75 plastic food contact material (FCM) in liquid food simulants, at levels of a few ng g−1. The method employs an optimised salt-assisted liquid liquid extraction for all EU-regulated ethanol/H 2 O food simulants, in the presence of 10% NaCl (simulants A and C) or 5% NaCl...

Nuclear clarifying agents (NCAs) are a class of substances frequently used as additives in the production of polymers to improve their physical properties. Some are EU regulated under Commission Regulation (EU) no. 10/2011 can be used as additives in the production of food contact plastics. However, limited analytical methods for their analysis are...

NPS are novel synthesized compounds that are being produced by a slight alteration/modification in the chemical structure of existing illegal substances, already registered in the European Union (EU). A number of products imported from non-EU countries, which have not been necessarily controlled under international law, may be subject to monitoring...

The rapid diffusion of new psychoactive substances (NPS) presents unprecedented challenges to both customs authorities and analytical laboratories involved in their detection and characterization. In this study an analytical approach to the identification and structural elucidation of a novel synthetic cannabimimetic, quinolin-8-yl-3-[(4,4-difluoro...

An Ultra High-Performance Liquid chromatography method quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been developed for the analysis of 11 cyclic polyesters oligomers, following a modified QuEChERS clean-up with alumina/primary secondary amine, in pasta. Target analytes were polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 1st series cyclic dimer to heptamer, pol...

A GC-MS method has been applied to screen and evaluate the generation of chemical compounds during the biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) with Tenebrio molitor larvae. Several resulting compounds have been identified, including trimers 2,4,6-triphenyl-1-hexene and 1,3,5-triphenylcyclohexane, the volatiles acetophenone and cumyl alcohol, and 2,4-di-...

of PBT and PET cyclic oligomers in extracts of coffee capsules and food simulants by a HPLC-UV/FLD method, Food Chemistry (2020), doi: https://doi. Abstract A HPLC-UV/FLD method was validated for the quantification of six polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and four polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) oligomers. PBT oligomers are EU regulated, while the...

Caprolactam and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol (2,4-DTBP) are substances typically found in some food contact materials (FCMs). They are known to often migrate into food, and are difficult to analyse in liquid food simulants using GC. In this work a simple salting-out Liquid-Liquid Extraction (SALLE) for the analysis of both substances in water and the o...

A simple, fast, sensitive and reliable method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 13 food contact materials (FCM) regulated substances and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) migrating into official food simulants. The method has been optimized to quantify the monomers styrene and α-methyl styrene, selected polystyrene oligome...

Chemical substances shall not migrate from food contact materials (FCM) at levels that are potentially harmful for the consumers. Each of the current analytical methods applied to verify the migration of substances from FCM covers only one or few substances. There is a very limited number of publications on the development of analytical methods all...

The rapid dispersion of new psychoactive substances (NPS) presents challenges to customs services and analytical laboratories, which are involved in their detection and characterization. When the seized material is limited in quantity or of a complex nature, or when the target substance is present in very small amounts, the need to use advanced ana...

Determination of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) dimer up to heptamer 1st series cyclic oligomers, applying an LC-qTOF-MS method, has been developed and validated. Recoveries ranged between 80 and 112% with RSDs lower than 15%. An innovative semi-quantitative approach has been applied for 2nd and 3rd series cyclic oligomers, using the closest stru...

Color additives are widely used by the food industry to enhance the appearance, as well as the nutritional properties of a food product. However, some of these substances may pose a potential risk to human health, especially if they are consumed excessively and are regulated, giving great importance to their determination. Several matrix-dependent...

Determination of PBT cyclic oligomers in and migrated from food contact materials3

Laboratories (NRLs) and Official Control Laboratories (OCLs) in the determination of mass fractions of poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) cyclic dimers and trimers in the official food simulant D1 containing ethanol and water (50:50 v/v). The EURL-FCM had developed and validated an analytical method based on HPLC...

Amino acids are essential nutritional components as they occur in foods either in free form or as protein constituents. An ultra-high-performance (UHPLC) hydrophilic liquid chromatography (HILIC)-tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of 17 amino acids (AA) in wheat flour samples after acid hydr...

Mussels, a marine filter organism, constitute a food product and an established sentinel organism for marine pollution. An analytical method following a QuEChERS extraction and clean-up protocol has been developed for the determination of phthalic acid esters (PAE), including di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl b...

An Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry method has been developed for the analysis of 12 phthalate esters in Greek grape marc spirits. The phthalates were separated on a U-VDSpher PUR 100 C18-E (100 mm x 2.0 mm, 1.8 μm) column by gradient elution. The analytes were ionized by positive electrospray ionization using...

Laboratories unexpectedly carried out pre-heating of polypropylene beverage cups prior to performing a migration test in a proficiency test. Principal component analysis of the data collected showed that the preheating temperature of the cups contributed to an increased variance of the data and distinguishing pre-heating and non-pre-heating groups....

The use of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) as a food contact material is increasing over the last years. Typical contaminations in the final PBT product include its cyclic oligomers, which are allowed as additives in food contact plastics according to Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. Their investigation is currently limited by the lack of analytical s...

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM) organised a proficiency test (FCM-18-01) for the determination of the mass fractions of four oligomers (ethylene terephthalate cyclic dimer (PET cyclic dimer), ethylene terephthalate cyclic trimer (PET cyclic trimer), butylene terephthalate cyclic dimer (PBT cyclic dimer)...

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM) organised a proficiency test (PT) to assess the analytical capabilities of the EU National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and Official Control Laboratories (OCLs) on the "temperature control" during migration tests by article filling at 70 °C for 2 h in food simulant D1 (e...

An HPLC method with fluorescence detection has been developed and validated for the quantification of six fluorescent whitening agents (FWA) in plastic beverage cups after extraction and in food simulants after migration at 70 oC for 2 h. The sensitivity of the method was high with LODs ranging from 0.053 to 0.251 μg kg⁻¹ and LOQs, from 0.107 to 0....

This report presents the results of an inter-laboratory comparison on the specific migration of caprolactam (CAP) and 2,4-di-tert butyl phenol (2,4-DTBP) from a plastic food contact material in food simulant A (ethanol 10 %, v/v) organised by the EURL-FCM, Ispra (Italy). Homogeneity and stability studies were conducted. Participants had to carry ou...

This report presents the results of an inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) on the temperature control during migration tests by article filling organised by the EURL-FCM, Ispra (Italy). Participants carried out a migration test by article filling in provided polypropylene cups (volume 0.3 L) with food simulant D1 (ethanol 50 %, v/v) at 70°C for 2 h a...

Screening and quantification of phthalate metabolites in biological matrices provides information on the phthalate exposure. The preferred tool for the determination of phthalate metabolites is liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, typically preceded by a sample extraction step. Method development for the determination of phthalate metabolites b...

The vitamers of vitamin E such as α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienol and α-, β-, γ-, and δ- tocopherol are important phytochemical compounds with antioxidant activity and with potential benefits for human health. A high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) method was validated for their determination in whole grain ba...

Barley is one of the earliest crops to be domesticated and its cultivation since the beginning of the 21st century, provides new utilities for the nutrition and sustainable development. It is persisted as a major cereal crop due to its broad ecological adaptation, its utility as a feed and food grain and due to the superiority of barley malt for us...

During the past decade, a number of foodstuff have been the focus of scientific research since epidemiological and clinical studies showed their effect against chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and leukoplakia, skin damage and aging - related eye disease. Tocopherols and Tocotrienols, which are grouped as Tocols, are constitut...

Tocotrienols and tocopherols (tocols) are important phytochemical compounds with antioxidant activity and potential benefits for human health. Among cereals, barley is a good source of tocols. In the present study the effect of two cultivation methods, organic and conventional, on the tocol content in 12 Greek barley varieties was investigated. A v...

Rice crop is mainly cultivated in large river basins which constitute unique ecosystems and their ecological quality is invaluable. However, the high loads of pesticides used in rice cultivation contribute to the contamination of the water resources in such rice-cultivated regions. To regularly monitor the quality of such water resources there is a...

Pesticides are widely used in rice cultivation, often resulting in detection of their residues in rice grains. So far, no analytical method has been available for the simultaneous determination of most rice pesticides in rice grains. This paper reports the development and validation of such a method for the determination of eight rice pesticides (p...

. An HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of the cephalosporins cefotaxime and cephalexine in skimmed bovine milk. The analytical column, Kromasil C18 (250 mm × 4.0 mm, 5 µm) was operated at ambient temperature. Mobile phase consisted of CH3OH-acetate buffer (pH = 4.0) and it was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 1....