The effect of fat contents and conditions of contact in actual use on styrene monomer migrated from general-purpose polystyrene into selected fatty dishes and beverage

[Display omitted] •The migration of styrene strongly depended on fat contents of dishes and beverage.•The migration of styrene strongly depended on conditions of contact in actual use.•The levels of styrene in food samples were well below the overall migration limit. The objective of this study was first to determine the effects of fat content on migration of styrene monomer from general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) into selected Malaysian fatty dishes and beverage. The second objective was to determine whether the migration of styrene monomer that was subjected to varying temperatures and contact duration, which mimics the actual practice, conforms to the established overall migration limit (OML). Distilled water, 3 % acetic acid, 10 % ethanol and palm olein were prepared in addition to the beef soup, curry noodles and pulled tea at four different volumes of fat-contributing ingredients. Two-sided contact migration cell was filled with food simulants and samples at temperature ranged from 40 °C to 70 °C at different times. HSPME coupled with GCMS was used to extract, detect and quantify styrene. Styrene level in palm olein was found as the highest and significantly differed from other food simulants. Styrene levels in food samples with the highest fat content resulted in the highest levels and significantly differed from other formulations. Food simulants and food samples exposed to 70 °C for 2 h were found to have the highest styrene levels compared to other conditions of contact. This study has proven that the migration of styrene into fatty dishes and beverage of Malaysian cuisine strongly depended on fat contents. Nonetheless, the migration of styrene monomer that was subjected to varying temperatures and contact duration, which mimics the actual practice, were well below the OML specified by the European Commission, which is at 10 mg/dm2.