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M. Fellner, I. Steiner:
"Migration from coffee filter papers";
Poster: 40. Deutscher Lebensmittelchemikertag, Halle (Saale); 09-12-2011 - 09-14-2011; in: "Kurzreferate", Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemike (ed.); (2011), 72.

Coffee filter papers are a product which is used all over the world on a daily bases in homes and workplaces. Especially in Austria the coffee brewing is part of the daily life of many people and using filter papers is a common method. But as literature research showed there were no greater studies published on the migration from coffee filter papers into coffee neither internationally nor in Austria. Coffee brewing applies hot water to the paper so the amounts of migrating substances may be rather high. So the aim of this work is to give a good overview of the commercial available coffee filter paper products in Austria and to test the samples on possibly migrating substances. The differences between the samples, the comparison to safety limits and the possible influence of bleaching are considered.
In the first part of the work the focus lied on getting as much general information on the filter paper samples like optical comparison, weight, contact area or moisture content. As a simulator for coffee cold water and hot water extracts were used according to official guidelines. The overlook contained the dry matter content which gives the total amount of no volatile migrating substances, the pH of the extracts and the potassium permanganate number which represents the content of organic compounds. In the second part the amount of migrating substance was determined at some chosen chemicals or to see if certain substances are present at all. Photometric measurements showed the migrating amount of glyoxal, formaldehyde and pentachlorophenol. Further tests were done using a scanning electron microscope (visible contaminations), headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (determination of volatile substances), X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy (detection of metals), gas chromatography Echelle plasma emissions detector (for fluorinated substances) and at last a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry multimethod for possibly migrating harmful substances such as pentachlorophenol or phthalates.
In conclusion all results showed that the filter papers all seemed to be safe and "clean", safety limits were not exceeded in any case, but the bleached filter paper showed the highest amount of migrating substances.

Coffee filter papers are a product which is used all over the world on a daily bases in homes and workplaces. Especially in Austria the coffee brewing is part of the daily life of many people and using filter papers is a common method. But as literature research showed there were no greater studies published on the migration from coffee filter papers into coffee neither internationally nor in Austria. Coffee brewing applies hot water to the paper so the amounts of migrating substances may be rather high. So the aim of this work is to give a good overview of the commercial available coffee filter paper products in Austria and to test the samples on possibly migrating substances. The differences between the samples, the comparison to safety limits and the possible influence of bleaching are considered.
In the first part of the work the focus lied on getting as much general information on the filter paper samples like optical comparison, weight, contact area or moisture content. As a simulator for coffee cold water and hot water extracts were used according to official guidelines. The overlook contained the dry matter content which gives the total amount of no volatile migrating substances, the pH of the extracts and the potassium permanganate number which represents the content of organic compounds. In the second part the amount of migrating substance was determined at some chosen chemicals or to see if certain substances are present at all. Photometric measurements showed the migrating amount of glyoxal, formaldehyde and pentachlorophenol. Further tests were done using a scanning electron microscope (visible contaminations), headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (determination of volatile substances), X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy (detection of metals), gas chromatography Echelle plasma emissions detector (for fluorinated substances) and at last a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry multimethod for possibly migrating harmful substances such as pentachlorophenol or phthalates.
In conclusion all results showed that the filter papers all seemed to be safe and "clean", safety limits were not exceeded in any case, but the bleached filter paper showed the highest amount of migrating substances.

Coffee filter paper, analysis, migration

http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_201239.ppt