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Food packaging and migration
Team role
Our main area of work involves research, surveillance and targeted commercial analysis of known and unknown migrants in food contact materials and articles, foods and food simulants. Staff are experts in policy and legislation in this area as well as in the analysis of these matrices.
In addition the skills within the team have been applied to the development and validation of analytical methodology for a variety of food contaminants from other sources (e.g. processing and environmental contaminants).
Identification of unknowns in complex matrices (foods, food simulants and food contact materials and articles) utilises a range of advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques including headspace gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS), GC-MS and liquid chromatography (LC)-time of flight (TOF)-MS.
The team collaborates extensively with industry, academia and other testing laboratories on a number of UK government and European funded research project as well as providing training and testing services for both the public and private sectors.
Team leader
Dr Emma Bradley has more than 10 years of experience in the analysis of food contaminants and chemical migration from food contact materials and articles. Her expertise includes analytical method development and method validation for the determination of contaminants in foodstuffs.
She acts as the secretary for and participates in several working groups within CEN TC194-SC1 (materials and articles intended for food contact) dealing with migration from plastics.
Dr Bradley also participates in the EU Reference Laboratory (EU-RL)-National Reference Laboratory (NRL) network for food contact materials as Fera is the UK National Reference Laboratory in this area.
Selected Team Publications
Comparison of the migration of melamine from melamine-formaldehyde plastics ('melaware') into various food simulants and foods themselves. E. L. Bradley, L. Castle, J. S. Day, I. Ebner, K. Ehlert, R. Helling, S. Koster, J. Leak and K. Pfaff. Vol. 27, No. 12, December 2010, 1755-1764.
The determination of polyadipates migrating from glass jar lid gaskets - Hydrolysis to adipic acid and measurement by LC-MS/MS. M. Driffield, E.L. Bradley, N. Harmer, L. Castle, S. Klump. Food Additives and Contaminants Part A, 2010, 27(10), 1487-1495.
Migration of formaldehyde from melamine-ware: UK 2008 survey results. E. L. J. Potter, E. L. Bradley, C. R. Davies, K. A. Barnes and L. Castle. Food Additives and Contaminants Part A, 2010, 27(6), 879-883.
Analysis of reaction products of food contaminants and ingredients: Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) in canned foods. L. Coulier, E.L. Bradley, R. C. Bas, K. C. M. Verhoeckx, M. Driffield, N. Harmer and L. Castle. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010, 58, 4873-4882.
Safety evaluation of food contact paper and board using chemical tests and in vitro bioassays: role of known and unknown substances,. U Honkalampi-Hämäläinen; E. L. Bradley; L. Castle; I. Severin; L. Dahbi; O. Dahlman; J. -C. Lhuguenot; M. A. Andersson; P. Hakulinen; D. Hoornstra; J. Mäki-Paakkanen; M. Salkinoja-Salonen; L. Turco; A. Stammati; F. Zucco; A. Weber and A. von Wright. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 2010, 27(3), 406-415.
Analytical approaches to identify potential migrants in polyester-polyurethane can coatings. E. L. Bradley, M. Driffield, J. Guthrie, N. Harmer, P. K. T. Oldring and L. Castle. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 2009, 26(12), 1602-1610.