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As embalagens alimentares têm como principal função a proteção dos alimentos de fatores que alterem o seu valor nutricional, as suas propriedades organoléticas e coloquem em risco a sua segurança. Contudo, os materiais utilizados nas embalagens podem interagir com os alimentos, podendo ocorrer a migração de determinados compostos para os alimentos. A maioria das embalagens metálicas usadas nas conservas de alimentos são revestidas internamente por um material epóxi-fenólico, onde se inclui o éter diglicidílico do bisfenol A (BADGE). Nas últimas décadas, tem havido um grande desenvolvimento das tecnologias usadas na conservação dos alimentos, com consequente aumento do tempo de vida útil destes e da segurança alimentar. Neste sentido, surgiram as embalagens ativas e as embalagens inteligentes. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os hábitos de consumo de latas de conserva numa amostra da população portuguesa e aferir o seu conhecimento sobre embalagens ativas e inteligentes. Perante os resultados obtidos, a população portuguesa consome um elevado número de produtos em latas de conserva, em especial atum (género Thunnus), e poucos inquiridos (26,4%) possuem conhecimento sobre a potencial migração de bisfenóis para os alimentos. Em relação às embalagens alimentares inovadoras, apenas uma pequena fração dos inquiridos (11%) tem conhecimento da sua existência e das funções que desempenham. The main purpose of food packaging is to protect food from factors that alter its nutritional value, its organoleptic proper ties and put its safety at risk. However, the materials used in the packaging may interact with food, and migration of cer tain compounds to food may occur. Most metal containers used in food preser ves are internally coated with an epoxyphenolic material, which includes bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE). In the last decades, there has been a great development of the technologies used in food preser vation, with a consequent increase in shelf life and food safety. In this sense, active packaging and smar t packaging have emerged. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consumption habits of canned tins, in a sample of the Por tuguese population, and to gauge their knowledge about active and intelligent packaging. Given the results obtained, the Por tuguese population consumes a large number of canned products, especially tuna fish (Thunnus genus), and few respondents (26.4%) are aware of the potential migration of bisphenols into food. In relation to innovative food packaging, only a small fraction of the respondents (11%) is aware of their existence and the functions they per form. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

O bisfenol A (BPA) é um composto orgânico, de origem industrial, com atividade estrogénica. A sua principal utilização encontra-se na produção de plásticos policarbonatos e resinas epóxi, aplicados a embalagens alimentares e produtos médicos. Devido aos perigos associados à ingestão repetida e a longo prazo deste xenoestrogénio, é importante avaliar a perceção e o conhecimento da população portuguesa acerca do BPA e dos seus efeitos para a saúde. Deste modo, foi elaborado um questionário sobre este composto e aplicado a uma amostra da população portuguesa. A amostra foi constituída por 249 indivíduos de diversas zonas do país, pertencentes a diversas faixas etárias e com vários níveis de escolaridade. O questionário compilou questões que permitem reunir dados socioeconómicos e obter informação acerca do conhecimento dos inquiridos sobre este composto químico. Os resultados obtidos mostram que 64% dos inquiridos nunca ouviram falar do BPA. Apesar de 92% dos inquiridos (dos que conheciam o BPA) terem conhecimento que a exposição a este químico produz efeitos negativos para a sua saúde, e que estes, estão maioritariamente associados à utilização de materiais plásticos em contacto com alimentos, 50% mostram desconhecimento de quais os tipos de riscos a que estão sujeitos. Concluiu-se que nesta amostra da população portuguesa o conhecimento sobre o bisfenol A (BPA) é escasso, e que a maioria dos inquiridos não conhece o composto. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound, of industrial origin, with estrogenic activity. Its main use is in the production of plastic polycarbonates and epoxy resins, applied to food packaging and medical products. Due to the dangers associated with repeated and long-term ingestion of this xenoestrogen, it is impor tant to assess the perception and knowledge of the Por tuguese population about BPA and its health ef fects. Thus, a questionnaire was elaborated on this compound and applied to a sample of the Por tuguese population. The sample was made up of 249 individuals from dif ferent par ts of the countr y, belonging to dif ferent age groups and with dif ferent education levels. The questionnaire compiled questions that allow us to gather socioeconomic data and obtain information about the knowledge of the par ticipants about this chemical. The results show that 64% of the par ticipants never heard of BPA. Although 92% of the respondents (from those who knew BPA) knew that exposure to this chemical agent had negative ef fects on their health and that these were mostly associated with the use of plastic materials in contact with food, 50% showed lack of knowledge of the types of risks to which they are subjected. It was concluded that among this sample of the Por tuguese population the knowledge about BPA is scarce, and the majority do not know the compound. Trabalho realizado no âmbito do projeto “Development of methodologies for the evaluation of polymeric food packaging components and determination of their structural and mechanical properties” (2016DAN 1289) do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge. A autora MFV agradece o financiamento da FCT, através do IDMEC, LAETA, projeto UID/EMS/50022/2019. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Packaging has become an indispensible element in the food manufacturing process, and different types of additives, such as antioxidants, stabilizers, lubricants, anti-static and anti-blocking agents, have also been developed to improve the performance of polymeric packaging materials. Recently the packaging has been found to represent a source of contamination itself through the migration of substances from the packaging into food. Various analytical methods have been developed to analyze the migrants in the foodstuff. Overall migration corresponds to the total components, identified or not, that migrate from the packaging material. The objective of the present work is the optimization and validation of the methodology to determine the overall migration from plastic materials to foodstuffs aiming the accreditation according ISO/IEC 17025 (1). The chosen method consists in the total immersion of plastic materials intended to come in contact with foodstuffs into aqueous based food simulants. The selection of the simulating conditions was made in agreement with National Legislation and NP EN 1186 (2). The overall migration from plastic samples was determined as the mass of non-volatile residue after evaporation of the food simulant following immersion. The validation of the analytical procedure consisted on the evaluation of the parameters: limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), repeatability (ri) and intermediate precision (Pi). LOD and LOQ were determined through the analyses of a series of blank samples. Repeatability (ri) and Intermediate Precision (Pi) were evaluated using real samples of different kinds of plastic with different levels of overall migration, according ISO 5725 (3). The uncertainty estimation was based on intralaboratory validation data. We concluded the laboratory performance complies with the requirements of EN 1186 (4) and is able to evaluate the requirements laid down in Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011(5).

EFSA

A recolha de dados analíticos de géneros alimentícios e alimentos para animais é uma importante tarefa da Autoridade Europeia para a Segurança dos Alimentos (EFSA) e uma componente essencial na avaliação do risco associado à alimentação. Os Estados Membros (EM) têm o dever de transmitir para a EFSA os resultados do Controlo Oficial sendo os contaminantes químicos (CQ) uma das áreas a reportar. Os CQ podem estar presentes nos alimentos devido à contaminação ambiental, processo de fabrico, manipulação e transporte e, mesmo quando presentes em quantidades abaixo dos limites legais, o seu efeito cumulativo poderá trazer consequências graves para a saúde humana e animal. Para melhorar a comparabilidade técnica dos dados que recebe e analisa, a EFSA desenvolveu um modelo de dados Standard Sample Description (SSD), de utilização obrigatória para a transmissão de dados pelos EM. O INSA, em colaboração com várias entidades nacionais competentes para o Controlo Oficial, desenvolveu o sistema alimentos PT.ON.DATA para recolha, validação, transformação em modelo SSD e criação de ficheiros em formato XML para transmissão para a EFSA dos dados de CQ. O sistema criado permitiu ainda concentrar e harmonizar os dados produzidos pelas diversas entidades competentes, possibilitando uma melhor utilização dos mesmos. O sistema possui dados de contaminantes químicos do controlo oficial desde 2009 existindo atualmente 17149 resultados de géneros alimentícios (47,9 %) e 18644 resultados de alimentos para animais (52,1 %), distribuídos por quatro grupos de CQ, dos quais: 4618 (12,9%) para o grupo de contaminantes do processo, maioritariamente dioxinas e PCBs; 613 (1,7 %) para o grupo de contaminantes ambientais, sobretudo histamina (incluída no grupo das toxinas desde 2012) e hidroximetilfurfural; 18531 (51.8 %) para o grupo das toxinas, maioritariamente aflatoxinas (B1, B2, G1, G2); e 12031 (33,6 %) para o grupo dos metais e substâncias inorgânicas, maioritariamente cádmio, chumbo e mercúrio. EFSA

The use of pesticides began in the mid-30’s with the development of new chemical compounds to increase agricultural production, with the purpose to meet the world’s population food needs. However, its poor degradation and propagation made them a major problem for public health and the environment. These are responsible for soil and water pollution and cause adverse effects on human health. They present a high risk especially for children, since the enzyme activity and its metabolic systems are not fully active. Taking into account these effects and since it is inevitable the presence of pesticides residues in food, were set maximum residue limits (MRLs), below which the risk to consumers health is not significant. The chromatographic methods are the most used in the analysis of pesticide residues, and gas chromatography (GC) the most widely analytical method applied in foods of plant origin. This study aimed to validate the method of gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) for the determination of pesticide residues in foods of plant origin, The methodology involved the study of selectivity, linearity, precision, detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) limits, and accuracy of the method, accordingISO/IEC 17025(1). The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical method for determining residues pesticides from organochlorine chemical group (α-BHC, Aldrin, β-BHC, δ-BHC, Dieldrin, Heptachlor, Heptachlor isomer A, Heptacloro isomer B, Lindane and Nitrofen) and organophosphate chemical group (Dasanit, Disulfoton, Terbufos), for routine analysis. Pulp fresh apple were utilized as samples in this study. Silica-Based SPE Cartridges and C18 SPE cartridges were used in sample extraction step and both showed good performance. The analyses were performed in Hewlett Packard 6890 GC with G2397A μECD detector. The separation was performed on a HP-5 capillary column with temperature programming rates. The calibration curves showed correlation coefficients with a minimum value of 0.989 and a good linear fit to the concentration ranges set for each pesticide, ensuring the linearity of the method. The variation coefficients obtained for all compounds, are comprised between 4.32% and 12.7%, well below 20%, giving a high precision of the method. The values of the limits of detection and quantification were appropriate for the determination of pesticides analyzed, the highest LOQ was 0.009 μg/mL, lower than the maximum residue standard (MRLs) of 0.01 μg/mL established by legislation (2). In conclusion, the extraction method used in the present study was inexpensive (do not require skilled operators, high volume of solvent or costly apparatus), easy and rapid. Additionally, the validation parameters show that the proposed method in this study is sensitive and could efficiently be used in the routine analysis.

Packaging has become an integral part of the processing, preservation, distribution, marketing, and even the cooking of foods. Packaging materials provide protection for microbiological, chemical, and physical contamination. However, components of the packaging material must be safe to the product as well as to the consumers. Food may interact with the packaging materials and this may change the initial mechanical and barrier properties as well as the safety of the product. Migration is defined as the transfer of substances from the package to foodstuffs. The migration of potentially toxic substances from packaging material to foods is a major concern in the selection and use of materials for food packaging because of the possible effect upon human health. Since its introduction in the 1950’s, the use of plastic in the packaging industry has increased at a greater rate than any other packaging material due to their low cost and outstanding functional service properties (Hernandez and Giacin, 1998) (1). However plastic materials may be the most problematic, due the nature of the molecules of the materials. Migration can be classified as overall or specific migration. Overall migration corresponds to the total components, identified or not, that migrate from the packaging material. The present work aims the optimization and validation of the methodology to determine the overall migration from plastic materials to foodstuffs, aiming the accreditation according ISO/IEC 17025 (2). The chosen method consists in the total immersion of plastic materials intended to come in contact with foodstuffs into aqueous based food simulants. The selection of the simulating conditions, temperature and time of contact, as well as the food simulant(s), differs according to the intended application of the test specimens. This selection was made in agreement with National Legislation (3) and NP EN 1186(4). The overall migration from plastic samples was determined as the mass of non-volatile residue after evaporation of the food simulant following immersion. The validation of the analytical procedure consisted on the evaluation of the following parameters: limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), repeatability (ri) and intermediate precision (Pi). LOD and LOQ were determined through the analyses of a series of blank samples. Repeatability (ri) and Intermediate Precision (Pi) were evaluated using real samples of different kinds of plastic with different levels of overall migration, according ISO 5725 (5). The uncertainty estimation, calculated for all kinds of plastic tested, was based on intralaboratory validation data. We concluded that the laboratory performance complies with the requirements of EN 1186 (4). With this method we can assure that the Food and Nutrition Department may submit this test to the Accreditation Body and assess these plastic materials according with the legislation, contributing for food safety and public health protection. Key words: Overall migration; Plastics, Foodstuffs, Food safety. References (1) Hernandez, R.J., Giacin, J.R., 1998. Factors affecting permeation, absorption and migration processes in packageproduct systems. In: Taub, I.A., Singh, R.P.(Eds.), Food Storage Stability. CRC Press, New York, pp. 269–330. (2) ISO/IEC 17025:2005 - General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. (3) Decreto-Lei n.º 62/2008. D.R. n.º 63, Série I 31 de March 2008; Diretiva 82/711/CEE do Conselho 18 de October 1982; Diretiva 85/572/CEE do Conselho 19 December 1985. (4) NP EN 1186:2002 – Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs – Plastics – Part 1: Guide to the selection of conditions and test methods for overall migration; NP EN 1186:2002 – Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs – Plastics – Part 3: Test methods for overall migration into aqueous food stimulants by total immersion. (5) ISO 5725:1994 - Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measurement methods and results – Part 1: General principles and definitions; Part 2: Basic method for the determination of repeatability and reproducibility of a standard measurement method; Part 3: Intermediate measures of precision of a standard measurement method; Part 6: Use in practice of accuracy values.

Ficheiro atualizado em: 27/9/2017 Livro de Resumos das comunicações apresentadas no 4º Simpósio Nacional “Promoção de uma Alimentação Saudável e Segura” – SPASS 2017, que decorreu, dia 21 de setembro, em Lisboa, no Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA). O encontro tem como objetivo discutir as diferentes perspetivas dos profissionais e da comunidade científica e académica enquanto elementos fundamentais na promoção de uma alimentação saudável e segura. É, assim, dirigido a todos os profissionais dos setores da saúde e alimentar, bem como a profissionais da indústria, a investigadores e estudantes. O SPASS é organizado anualmente pelo Departamento de Alimentação e Nutrição do INSA, tendo sido este ano subordinado ao tema “Do Nutriente à Embalagem – Inovação e Desafios”. “Nutrição em Saúde Pública”, “Nutrientes e sua Implicação na Saúde”, “Segurança e Inovação das Embalagens Alimentares” e “Evolução e Perspetivas Futuras das Embalagens Alimentares” foram os quatros principais temas abordados no evento. Esta publicação disponibiliza os resumos das 12 comunicações orais e dos 52 posters apresentados no encontro. N/A