Rockville, Maryland, August 12, 2019—AOAC INTERNATIONAL today announced the adoption of an Official Method of AnalysisSM for determining the presence of free bisphenol A (BPA) in a broad range of still and carbonated bottled beverages, including soft drinks with sugar and caffeine, 100 percent orange juice with pulp, and whole milk.
This Official Method, the second approved for BPA, expands testing options by using liquid chromatography, a common analytical tool in many laboratories. Liquid chromatography identifies and quantifies components in a mixture by separating them according to their molecular weight and polarity.
“Approval of this method means more labs can test for BPA, which will greatly facilitate the efforts of beverage manufacturers to produce products that are safe, fulfill consumer expectations and comply with regulations,” said Darryl Sullivan, Chief Scientific Officer at Eurofins.
Growing public concern has led beverage manufacturers to source reduced-BPA or BPA-free containers and seek more accurate ways to measure its presence in their products. The AOAC INTERNATIONAL project that produced the new method was launched in response to a need identified by the American Beverage Association.
The new method was awarded “First Action” Official Method of Analysis status after an extensive review of its sensitivity, accuracy and reproducibility by a 12-member Expert Review Panel chaired by Melissa Phillips of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Official Methods of Analysis are microbiological and chemical analysis procedures that have undergone rigorous formal validation by AOAC INTERNATIONAL. After a two-year tracking period, First Action methods are reviewed for approval as “Final Action” methods, which are published in the Official Methods of Analysis, a globally-recognized standards resource for analytical scientists.
The method was evaluated against Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRSM) 2017.018, which detailed analysis standards consistent with the increasingly conservative regulatory requirements for BPA such as those enacted in California.
