Approaches to evaluating high-temperature food packaging materials as sources of food contamination

Abstract

We have developed several new analytical protocols to provide data for evaluating the safety of high-temperature food-contact articles like microwave susceptors and dual ovenable trays used in cooking and reheating. The improved protocols simulate high-temperature use conditions encountered in both microwave and conventional ovens, and are conducted using food substitutes and test cells appropriate for these environments. They are suitable for the identification and quantitation of multiple volatile chemicals as well as non-volatile adjuvants, oligomers and contaminants. These procedures lend themselves to analysis of various food-contact articles containing poly(ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polycarbonate and nylon. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid extraction and chromatography are the techniques used in these tests for analysis of food simulants and extracts.These tests are complemented by the use of theoretical migration models, which predict polymer barrier properties over a wide range of temperatures using diffusion data obtained under convenient experimental conditions. These techniques are particularly helpful for comparative studies or when high-temperature experimental measurements are impractical or extremely difficult to obtain. Application of these protocols and models provides a much improved capability to assess packaging-derived food contamination in high-temperature applications.