This document specifies an analytical test method for the determination of anthraquinone (see Table 1) in water and 95 % ethanol extracts of pulp, paper and board materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Moreover, acetone extracts of modified polyphenylene oxide (MPPO) that, according to EN 14338, can be used as a simulant to assess the possible transfer/migration of substances from paper and board into dry, non-fatty foodstuffs can be analysed with the method presented here.

This method can be applied to determine anthraquinone in concentrations ranging from 2 µg/l to 40 µg/l in the water and solvent extracts, corresponding to 0,05 mg/kg to 1 mg/kg pulp, paper and board or, respectively, 0,1 μg/dm² to 2 μg/dm² in the case of migration tests with MPPO. The measurement range can be lowered by enriching anthraquinone from the water and solvent extracts.