| Summary: | Plastic food packaging contains potentially toxic chemicals that are capable of diffusing
to the plastic surface through the process of migration, where they can contaminate food
(Incarnato et al., 2000). Thus, government regulations require food packaging migration testing
to ensure public safety. Standardized migration test methods use conventional ovens to
determine the maximum amount of migration that will occur during heating. However,
standardized migration tests may not accurately characterize the effects of microwave heating on
migration. Studies by Galotto and Guarda (1999, 2004) showed that the amount of chemical
migration released from polyvinyl chloride film into aqueous and fatty food simulants during
microwave heating was higher than the amount released during oven heating.
The objective of this study was to determine if the effects of microwave heating on
migration were different from the effects of oven heating. The amount of chemicals migrating
from one type of polypropylene plastic container into acetic acid and isopropanol food simulants
during microwave and oven heating was measured using GC/MS analysis and compared.
The results of this study showed that the effects of microwave and oven heating on
migration are not comparable. The amount of chemical migration for most substances identified
in acetic acid and isopropanol food simulant was significantly higher (p<0.05) in simulant
exposed to microwave heated plastic compared to migration levels measured in simulant exposed
to oven heated plastic. The number of migrants found in microwave heated acetic acid and
isopropanol simulants (13 and 72, respectively) was greater than what was present in oven
heated acetic acid and isopropanol simulants (4 and 70, respectively). The amount of identified
chemical migrants in isopropanol simulant was also significantly higher (p<0.05) than the
amount of migration measured in acetic acid simulant. The types of migrants identified in both
simulants exposed to microwave heated plastic included: hydrocarbons, fatty acids and fatty acid
amides/esters, antioxidant and antioxidant breakdown products, a monomer, an alcohol and
unknown substances. The large number of unidentified migrants and the lack of toxicological
data for many identified migrants emphasize the need for improved migration test methods and
food packaging regulations, and more toxicity testing. === Medicine, Faculty of === Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of === Graduate
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