Antioxidants and their migration into food simulants on irradiated LLDPE film

Antioxidant polyphenols in black tea residue are an underused source of bioactive compounds. Microencapsulation can turn them into a valuable functional ingredient for different food applications. This study investigated the potential of using spent black tea extract (SBT) as an active ingredient in food packaging. Free or microencapsulated forms of SBT, using a pectin–sodium caseinate mixture as a wall material, were incorporated in a cassava starch matrix and films developed by casting. The effect of incorporating SBT at different polyphenol contents (0.17% and 0.34%) on the structural, physical, and antioxidant properties of the films, the migration of active compounds into different food simulants and their performance at preventing lipid oxidation were evaluated. The results showed that adding free SBT modified the film structure by forming hydrogen bonds with starch, creating a less elastic film with antioxidant activity (173 and 587 µg(GAE)/g film). Incorporating microencapsulated SBT improved the mechanical properties of active films and preserved their antioxidant activity (276 and 627 µg(GAE)/g film). Encapsulates significantly enhanced the release of antioxidant polyphenols into both aqueous and fatty food simulants. Both types of active film exhibited better barrier properties against UV light and water vapour than the control starch film and delayed lipid oxidation up to 35 d. This study revealed that starch film incorporating microencapsulated SBT can be used as a functional food packaging to protect fatty foods from oxidation.

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Swelling as a promoter of migration of plastic additives in the interaction of fatty food simulants with polylactic acid- and polypropylene-based plastics

Food Control ◽

10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108354 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108354

Author(s):

Csaba Kirchkeszner ◽

Noémi Petrovics ◽

Tamás Tábi ◽

Norbert Magyar ◽

József Kovács ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polylactic Acid ◽

Food Simulants ◽

Fatty Food

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Development and Validation of a UHPLC-qTOF MS Method for the Determination of Sorbitol-Based Nuclear Clarifying Agents in Food Simulants after Migration from Food Contact Materials

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11093789 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 3789

Author(s):

Emmanouil D. Tsochatzis ◽

Georgios Theodoridis ◽

Helen G. Gika

Keyword(s):

A Posteriori ◽

Contact Materials ◽

Food Contact ◽

Food Simulants ◽

Target Analytes ◽

Commission Regulation ◽

Development And Validation ◽

Migration Testing ◽

Analytical Standards

Nuclear clarifying agents (NCAs) are a class of substances frequently used as additives in the production of polymers to improve their physical properties. Some are EU regulated under Commission Regulation (EU) no. 10/2011 can be used as additives in the production of food contact plastics. However, limited analytical methods for their analysis are currently available, in part due to poor solubility in most common organic solvents and lack of analytical standards of known purity. In this work, a simple and sensitive method was developed to analyze 4 EU-regulated sorbitol-based nucleating agents in food simulants, following solubility studies to establish effective solvents. The method was shown to be accurate and precise and can be used with official food simulant D1 (50% v/v ethanol/H2O). Application to other ethanolic simulants is also possible, but due to solubility issues, a posteriori conversion of those simulants into simulant D1 is required. Finally, the method was applied to quantify the target analytes in simulants after migration testing with polypropylene (PP) beverage cups.

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Migration from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer: swelling effect of food simulants compared to real foods

Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety ◽

10.1007/s00003-020-01308-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Valeria Guazzotti ◽

Annika Ebert ◽

Anita Gruner ◽

Frank Welle

Keyword(s):

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene ◽

Polymer Swelling ◽

Food Simulants ◽

Diffusion Parameters ◽

Compliance Testing ◽

Diffusion Migration ◽

Different Temperatures ◽

Effect Of Food ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Butadiene Styrene

AbstractMaterials and articles made of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) intended for contact with food must comply with the requirements of the European Plastic Regulation (EU) 10/2011, which lays down the food simulants and the time/temperature conditions to be applied for migration testing. Previous studies indicated that high concentrations of ethanol at temperatures above ambient may lead to swelling of ABS polymers resulting in increased migration. In this study migration kinetic data for a set of model substances at different temperatures were obtained using both food simulants stipulated in EU regulations and real food (milk, cream and olive oil). At the same time, the extent of polymer swelling was gravimetrically characterized after contact with simulants and different foods tested at several conditions to cover the majority of foreseeable applications of ABS. The obtained results confirmed that the use of high concentrations of ethanol–water, especially at high temperatures, causes the swelling of ABS polymers and results in significantly higher migration values compared to the tested foods as well as Tenax®. None of the real foods studied cause significant swelling of ABS. The widely used simulant 95% (v/v) aqueous ethanol proves not be suitable for compliance testing of ABS under the recommended conditions of Regulation (EU) 10/2011. Swelling of the polymer results in artificially higher diffusion coefficients or lower activation energies of diffusion. Migration prediction using polymer-specific diffusion parameters should therefore be considered to avoid over-conservative risk assessment for food contact materials and articles made of ABS.

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