Using SHS-GC/MS to Detect VOCs in Plastic Food Bags

Does My Sandwich Taste Funny?

A Real Science Experiment Inspired by a 14-Year-Old’s Lunchbox Complaint

So here’s what happened.

Our General Manager was doing his early-morning routine—packing his daughter Charlotte’s lunch before school. He reached for a generic sandwich bag (the kind you buy in bulk, naturally), popped in the turkey and cheese, and was about to seal it when Charlotte stopped him mid-seal:

“Wait—don’t use those bags. They make my sandwich taste funny.”

Not the “forgot-the-mayo” kind of funny. More like “it tastes like it was stored in a tire aisle” kind of funny.

She added, with full teenage confidence: “The real brand doesn’t do that. Only the cheap ones make it taste weird.”

Now, most parents would shrug and switch bags to avoid a pre-caffeine debate. But our GM? He didn’t just listen—he brought Charlotte’s hypothesis straight to Innovatech Labs for testing. A teenager’s lunchbox complaint turned into a full-on consumer product materials analysis.

Enter: Science Mode

At Innovatech Labs, we specialize in materials testing—from medical plastics to food-grade packaging materials. If there’s a mystery about how a material behaves (or in this case, smells and tastes), we’ve got the tools to investigate.

Charlotte had unknowingly launched a full-blown off-gassing analysis using one of our favorite techniques:

Static Headspace Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (SHS-GC/MS)

The name is a mouthful (unlike that sandwich). But this method is the gold standard in detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in packaging materials.

What Even Is That?

Let’s break it down:

1. We took two samples: a generic plastic sandwich bag and a premium brand-name sandwich bag.
2. Each was sealed in a special glass vial and the vial was placed in an oven.
3. We heated them to 150°C for an hour. (Way hotter than your lunchbox, but great for simulating extreme real-world conditions like a hot car.)
4. As the plastic warms up, it releases any VOCs—chemicals that evaporate easily.
5. We captured that gas and injected it into:

• • A Gas Chromatograph, which separates chemicals like unmixing a smoothie, one flavor at a time.

• • A Mass Spectrometer, which breaks them into fragments to identify each compound.

This process provides a full chemical fingerprint of each sample—exactly what’s being off-gassed from the plastic.

The Results: Brand vs. Generic

🟢Brand-Name Bag:

• Clean.
• No detectable VOCs under our test conditions.
• In terms of smell and chemical off-gassing, it passed with flying colors.

🟠Generic Bag:

• Gave off a mix of chemical compounds—primarily a variety of hydrocarbons.
• Total detected VOCs: ~0.674 ppm
• Here’s a peek at what we found:

These may not necessarily be harmful at this level, but they can alter the taste and smell of whatever’s stored inside.
In short: Charlotte’s sandwich really did taste funny—because the cheap plastic bag was off-gassing VOCs.

So… Was Charlotte Right? Yes. Completely.
No exaggeration. No teenage drama. Just a scientifically validated difference in packaging material quality.

Charlotte: 1
Generic Bag: 0

Why This Actually Matters

Sure, it’s just a sandwich bag. But what this experiment shows is how even everyday materials can have subtle but real effects on food quality, flavor, and freshness. And this isn’t just about lunch:

We use SHS-GC/MS testing every day to evaluate:

• Medical devices
• Consumer packaging
• Electronics
• Aerospace materials
• Plastic food wrap and containers

If it’s made of something, and it matters how it behaves, smells, or interacts with its environment—we can test it.

Final Thoughts

This whole investigation started because a 14-year-old noticed something most people overlook. At Innovatech Labs, we believe even casual observations deserve scientific validation. Because science doesn’t ignore a gut feeling—it investigates it.

Sometimes discovery starts with: “Hey, this tastes weird.”

Thanks for the inspiration, Charlotte. You made lunch a little better—and science a whole lot cooler.

Got a material mystery of your own?
Whether it’s packaging, plastics, or an odd taste you can’t explain—we’re ready to investigate.
Contact Innovatech Labs to start your analysis today.

 *Secat (Innovatech Labs) does not make any claims or statements about the quality or safety of the products we evaluated in this blog.