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The evaporation residue test designated in the Japanese Food Sanitation Act is used to determine the total migration amount of substances that food contact materials release into foods. Vegetable oil would be the most suitable food simulant for oils and fatty foods, but it is difficult to remove by heating due to its high boiling point, so heptane and 20％ ethanol are used as substitute food simulants in the test for plastics and rubbers. The EU has introduced an overall migration test into olive oil for plastics intended to come into contact with oils and fatty foods. This test method is described in European Standard EN1186-2. However, this method has several problems. Therefore, we improved the procedures for weighing samples in a desiccator containing 43％ sulfuric acid, extraction of the absorbed vegetable oil using the soaking method with an internal standard, methyl esterification of vegetable oil using sodium methoxide, and the GC conditions for the determination of vegetable oil. The improved method is simpler and much quicker than the original method, and the harmfulness of the reagents is reduced. It can be applied to both plastics and rubbers. Comparative trials showed that the results obtained with this method and EN1186-2 method are equivalent.

This study reports the analysis of nine bisphenols (BPA, BPAF, BPAP, BPB, BPC, BPE, BPF, BPS, and BPZ) and related compounds (4-cumylphenol and dihydroxybenzophenone) in honey and food simulant. After sample preconcentration with Oasis HLB cartridges, analytes were silylated and analyzed by GC-MS. The validated methods with LODs in sub ng g -1 were applied to 36 honey samples from European and non-European countries and food simulant stored in selected corresponding containers. Honey samples contained BPA, BPAF, BPE, BPF, BPS, and BPZ in amounts up to 107, 53.5, 12.8, 31.6, 302, and 28.4 ng g -1 , respectively. Under simulating conditions, BPA and BPAF were detected in food simulant up to 42.2 and 19.8 ng mL -1 , respectively. In certain cases, the detected bisphenols in honey probably derive from a source other than the final packaging.

In order to study the purity of recycled fibre-based materials, products containing recycled fibre as well as recycled pulp were examinedwith regard to their chemical impurities, toxicity and microbiological quality. The study was carried out to clarify both qualitatively and quantitatively the variations in microbiological quality. The levels of several classes of chemical substances were analysed and semi-volatile and volatile substances identified. The toxicity and mutagenicity of virgin fibre and recycled fibre materials were screened usingthe Photobacter toxicity test and the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test. Preliminary chemical characterization of the mutagens was carried out. Identification of the compounds found in the mutagenic fractions was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Theconcentration of various substances analysed was found to be low, although the variety of substances present appeared to be very broad. Preliminary chemical characterization revealed that some samples contained compounds known to have mutagenic or other toxic activity. Also,the recycled fibre pulps contained large amounts of various microbes, the microbial load consisting mainly of aerobic spore-forming bacteria. The paper-making process was found to clearly have reduced the total microbial counts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first list of plastics additives which may be assigned restrictions in a future amendment to Directive 90/128/EEC is likely to contain over 200 substances. If food consumption factors are taken into account many compounds on this list could have restrictions removed but there would, without doubt, still be many additives with restrictions. Extensive migration testing of food contact plastics containing restricted additives to ensure compliance would be required. These limits would be difficult to enforce, add significant cost burdens on the packaging industry and, for these reasons, may not provide improved consumer safeguards. An alternative means of control has been proposedbased upon polymer composition. However, in order to support such a scheme a reliable correlation between migration of additives to theircomposition in the polymer must be demonstrated. There has been strong interest in establishing this relationship and a feasibility project to investigate the specific migration of four commonly used additives has been successfully completed. The study was initially funded for 1 year, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and industry. Analytical methods to determine the additives in food simulants have been developed and linear correlations have been demonstrated between the concentration of all four additives and their specific migration levels for each polymer studied. Experimental migration data have been compared with those generated by mathematical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PET packaging materials have been testedfor volatile content after exposure to high temperatures. Samples included laminates, bottles, and roasting bags, and were heated at 120 deg.C, 150 deg.C and 230 deg.C for 50 min, according to sample type. Volatiles released from the material were trapped on Tenax, identified by GC-MS and assessed against a 10 mu g/kg migration threshold limit. Few volatiles were found for samples composed only of PET. Volatiles from laminates varied according to the sample structure, but the main substances identified were not related to PET, but probably came from printing inks and adhesives. It is concluded that the migration potential of PET in high-temperature applications is very low and that the formation of volatiles during use is unlikely to cause any special problems in polymer recovery in recycling schemes, provided that other packaging residues are removed effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]