Styrene Monomer Levels in Polystyrene-Packed Dairy Products from the Market versus Simulated Migration Testing.

In view of the fact that a specific migration limit (SML) is to be established in the near future for styrene monomer in plastic food contact materials (FCMs), data on the dietary exposure of the European population, as well as sensitive and reliable analytical methodologies to implement compliance testing, are needed. The properties of the substance styrene as well as those of styrenic polymers pose challenges for analysts and their design of experimental migration tests. The aim of this study was to assess the level of styrene in polystyrene (PS)-packed dairy products from supermarkets and compare these values with the results from simulated migration testing.

Migration Modeling as a Valuable Tool for Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Oligomers.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used food contact materials due to its excellent mechanical properties and recyclability. Migration of substances from PET and assessment of compliance are usually determined by experimental testing, which can be challenging depending on the migrants of interest. Low concentrations and missing reference standards, among other factors, have led to inadequate investigation of the migration potential of PET oligomers.

Migration of Styrene in Yogurt and Dairy Products Packaged in Polystyrene: Results from Market Samples.

The European Food Safety Authority is re-evaluating styrene for assessing the safety of food contact materials (FCM) such as polystyrene (PS) and started a systematic review of the data on migration levels in food. A restriction for styrene is expected in the near future. The main food contact application of PS is dairy packaging, mainly at refrigerated storage.

Migration Testing of GPPS and HIPS Polymers: Swelling Effect Caused by Food Simulants Compared to Real Foods.

Migration kinetic data from general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were generated for a set of model substances as well as styrene monomer and oligomers at different temperatures (20 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C) using food simulants stipulated in the European Regulation (EU) 10/2011 and real foods like milk, cream and olive oil (20 °C, 40 °C). The extent of polymer swelling was characterized gravimetrically and visual changes of the test specimens after migration contact were recorded. Isooctane and 95% ethanol caused strong swelling and visual changes of HIPS, overestimating real migration into foods especially at high temperatures; GPPS was affected by isooctane only at 60 °C.

Impact of Partitioning in Short-Term Food Contact Applications Focused on Polymers in Support of Migration Modelling and Exposure Risk Assessment.

Food contact materials (FCMs) can transfer chemicals arising from their manufacture to food before consumption. Regulatory frameworks ensure consumer safety by prescribing methods for the assessment of FCMs that rely on migration testing either into real-life foods or food simulants. Standard migration testing conditions for single-use FCMs are justifiably conservative, employing recognized worst-case contact times and temperatures.

Diffusion Coefficients and Activation Energies of Diffusion of Organic Molecules in Polystyrene below and above Glass Transition Temperature.

General Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) and High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is used in packaging food as well as for technical products. Knowledge of the diffusion behavior of organic molecules in polystyrene (PS) is important for the evaluation of the diffusion and migration process. Within this study, diffusion coefficients were determined in GPPS and HIPS below and above the glass transition temperature.

Litsea cubeba fruit essential oil and its major constituent citral as volatile agents in an antimicrobial packaging material.

Food packaging films were coated with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) containing different concentrations of citral or Litsea (L.) cubeba essential oil (EO). Antimicrobial contact trials in style of ISO22916 were performed.

Recyclable Multilayer Packaging by Means of Thermoreversibly Crosslinking Adhesive in the Context of Food Law.

Lacking recyclability of multilayer packaging can be overcome by using a thermoreversible crosslinking adhesive consisting of maleimide- and furan-functionalized polyurethane-(PU-)prepolymers, reacting in a Diels-Alder-reaction. Here, the furan-functionalized PU-prepolymer carries furan-side-chains to avoid the usage of an additional crosslinking agent. Thus, ‑(2‑hydroxyethyl)maleimide and furfurylamine are the only two chemicals contained in the adhesive that are not listed in the appendix of EU Regulation 10/2011.

Contamination Levels in Recollected PET Bottles from Non-Food Applications and their Impact on the Safety of Recycled PET for Food Contact.

PET beverage bottles have been recycled and safely reprocessed into new food contact packaging applications for over two decades. During recollection of post-consumer PET beverage bottles, PET containers from non-food products are inevitably co-collected and thereby enter the PET recycling feed stream. To explore the impact of this mixing on the safety-in-use of recycled PET (rPET) bottles, we determined the concentrations of post-consumer substances in PET containers used for a range of non-food product applications taken from the market.

A blob model to parameterize polymer hole free volumes and solute diffusion.

Solute diffusion in solid polymers has tremendous applications in packaging, reservoir, and biomedical technologies but remains poorly understood. Diffusion of non-entangled linear solutes with chemically identical patterns (blobs) deviates dramatically in polymers in the solid-state (α > 1, Macromolecules 2013, 46, 874) from their behaviors in the molten state (α = 1, Macromolecules, 2007, 40, 3970). This work uses the scale invariance of the diffusivities, D, of linear probes D(N·M + M,T,T) = ND(M + M,T,T) comprising N identical blobs of mass M and possibly one different terminal pattern (anchor of mass M) to evaluate the amounts of hole-free volume in seven polymers (aliphatic, semi-aromatic and aromatic) over a broad range of temperatures (-70 K ≤T-T≤ 160 K).

Comment on "exposure to microplastics (<10 μm) associated to plastic bottles mineral water consumption: The first quantitative study by Zuccarello et al. [Water Research 157 (2019) 365-371]".

Microplastics in food is a relatively new research field with only few studies available so far. Scientists have been pointing out that some of these studies apply questionable analytical methods. Nevertheless, media often use such results to gain attention of the readers.

Microplastic in bottled natural mineral water - literature review and considerations on exposure and risk assessment.

Microplastics have been ubiquitously found and identified in aquatic and terrestrial environments for several years. Due to their occurrence in the oceans, microplastics were also found and characterised in seafood products and in other foods and beverages such as beer, honey and table salt. Very recently, microplastic particles were also determined in bottled mineral water.

Diffusion behaviour of the acetaldehyde scavenger 2-aminobenzamide in polyethylene terephthalate for beverage bottles.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are widely used as packaging material for natural mineral water. However, trace levels of acetaldehyde can migrate into natural mineral water during the shelf life and might influence the taste of the PET bottled water. 2-Aminobenzamide is widely used during PET bottle production as a scavenging agent for acetaldehyde.

Activation energies of diffusion of organic migrants in cyclo olefin polymer.

Cyclo olefin polymer (COP) is an amorphous polymer with good optical transparency and barrier properties, which is increasingly used for pharmaceutical packaging applications like pre-filled syringes, plastic vials, nutrition bags and blisters as well as for micro-well plates. For regulatory purposes, it is important to know the amount and quantity of compounds which migrate from the polymer into the pharmaceutical product. Within the study, diffusion coefficients of organic (model) compounds in COP at various temperatures were determined and the activation energies of diffusion were calculated according to the Arrhenius approach.

Investigation into the sorption of nitroglycerin and diazepam into PVC tubes and alternative tube materials during application.

Plastic bags and tubes are increasingly used for the storage and application of pharmaceutical formulations. The most common polymer material for drug application sets is plasticized poly(vinylchloride) (PVC). During application of pharmaceutical drug solution through PVC tubes, the polymer and the contact media interact which leads to leaching out of polymer additives or sorption of ingredients of the drug solution.

SiOx layer as functional barrier in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles against potential contaminants from post-consumer recycled PET.

The barrier effect of a silicon oxide (SiOx) coating on the inner surface of PET bottles, in terms of the ability to reduce the migration of post-consumer compounds from the PET bottle wall into food simulants (3% acetic acid and 10% ethanol), was investigated. The barrier effect was examined by artificially introducing model substances (surrogates) into the PET bottle wall to represent a worst-case scenario. Test bottles with three different spiking levels up to approximately 1000 mg kg(-1) per surrogate were blown and coated on the inner surface.

Decontamination efficiency of a new post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) recycling concept.

The aim of the study was to investigate and evaluate the cleaning efficiency of a new recycling concept for post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The so-called Flake To Resin (FTR) recycling process produces PET pellets or preforms from conventionally recycled PET flakes for the application in new PET packaging in direct food contact. The investigated process can be considered as 'super-clean' recycling process and was developed to introduce conventional recycled post-consumer (PCR) PET flakes up to an amount of 50% into the pellet and preform production.

Thermochemical Stability of alpha-Amino-alpha-carbonylmethyl Radicals and Their Resonance As Measured by ESR.

ESR spectra of the captodative alpha-amino-alpha-carbonylmethyl radicals 8 have been recorded. No coalescence temperature for the rotation of the two NMe groups was found at temperatures below the decomposition temperature of the radicals. From known coalescence temperatures and rotational barriers of substituted methyl radicals the rotational barrier of >/=17 kcal mol(-)(1) was estimated for the (*)C-N bond in the radicals 8.