The migration of NIAS from ethylene-vinyl acetate corks and their identification using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

•A novel Ion-mobility QTOF mass spectrometry was applied to migration of NIAS.•Migration study of eight corks of ethylene vinyl acetate used as food packaging.•Fifty compounds were detected in ethanol 20% and 3% acetic acid.•Cyclic oligomers from copolymerization of ethylene and vinyl acetate were found.•One cork exceeded the recommended migration limits. An exhaustive migration study of eight corks, made of ethylene–vinyl acetate, was carried out to identify any non-volatile and volatile compounds using an untargeted approach. The challenge associated with the structural elucidation of unknowns was undertaken using both ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an ion-mobility separation quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. A total of fifty compounds were observed to migrate from the corks, and among these additives such as antioxidants (Butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, Irganox 1010, Irganox 1075, Irgafos 168 and BHT) or lubricants (EBO and octadecanamide, N,N'-1,2-ethanediylbis-) were identified. A high proportion (84%) of the detected compounds was non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), and included several cyclic oligomers with different chain sequences. NIAS, such as 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-ethyl and 7,9-ditert-butyl-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione, break-down products, including hexa-, hepta- and nonadecanamide, N,N'-1,2-ethanediylbis-, and oxidation products were also identified. One cork was found to be unsuitable for use as a food contact material.