Theoretical Migration Estimation of Acetaldehyde and Butyraldehyde from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) into Fermented Food Simulants

Abstract

Objectives: Materials coming into contact with food may result in the migration of chemical substances into the food. To protect consumers from exposure, Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 specifies the use of standard migration tests. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), widely used for food packaging materials, has drawn the attention of researchers because unwanted migration of PET into food might occur when consumers reuse packaging material. The aim of this study was to predict and develop a migration model for two components, acetaldehyde and butyraldehyde in PET, into food simulants under conditions of changing pH and solvents, such as those observed in fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut.Methods: Using a migration model based on Fick's second law of diffusion in one dimension, the migration of acetaldehyde and butyraldehyde from PET into a simulant of fermented food at 20 °C over 10 days was evaluated. The simulant for fermented food was modelled as 10% ethanol for three days, followed by 3% acetic acid for seven days.Results: The migration of acetaldehyde into the 10% ethanol was 0.36 times that of a simulated fermented food system, while that of butyraldehyde was 1.34 times greater. These results may have been influenced by the chemical interactions among the migrants, polymers and simulants, as well as by the solubilities of the migrants in polymers and simulants. Conclusion:Because food simulants have a limited capacity to mimic real food systems under the current migration model, an appropriate simulant and migration test should be considered in the case of increasing acidity. Furthermore, since the accuracy of the worst-case estimation of migration predicted by the current model is severely limited under changing food conditions, food simulants and their interactions should be further investigated with respect to conservative migration modelling.