Large-scale in silico screening of compounds contained in printing inks for food packaging materials

Providing sustainable and safe nutrition to the population is one of the main tasks of the modern food industry. While food packaging materials fulfill their invaluable protective role, certain substances can migrate from them into food. Switzerland is worldwide the only country, in which substances in printing inks for food packaging are regulated. Approx. 5000 substances are listed in Annex 10 of the Ordinance on Food Contact Materials FCM (SR 817.023. 21). Briefly, they were evaluated based on toxicity data and have a specific migration limit (part A). Alternatively, they should not be classified as CMR substances and not be detectable in food (< 10 ppb)(part B). In the order to identify potentially harmful compounds, we performed a virtual screening study along with a complex toxicokinetic characterization of chemical compounds contained in printing inks for FCM.