Hydrocarbon contaminants in pizza boxes from the Italian market

A critical review of test methods and alternative scientific approaches to compliance and safety evaluation of paper and board for food contact

Paper and board are widely used as food contact materials. For such sensitive applications, consumer safety regarding the transfer of chemical components and contaminants to the food needs to be established. Such safety assessments are becoming increasingly challenging not only due to intentionally added substances but also non-intentionally added substances. In the European Union, compliance testing and safety evaluation of paper in food contact are largely based on national legislation and standards. The underlying tests are conventional methods, often overestimating and sometimes underestimating the migration into food. In this article, the relevant standard test methods are contrasted with currently available scientific knowledge. The scientific approaches to develop and identify suitable test methods are critically reviewed. Furthermore, theoretical predictions via mathematical modeling, with the aim to realistically simulate transfer to food, are presented and discussed in comparison with available migration studies with foods. Objectives are to (i) summarize the actual scientific knowledge in the field and draw conclusions regarding the potential and limitations of the existing test methods and (ii) identify research gaps toward a better qualitative and quantitative understanding of transport processes of volatile and non-volatile substances from paper and board into foods.

Investigation of potential migratables from paper and board food contact materials

Since the ban on single-use plastic articles in Europe, the food contact material (FCM) industry has been forced to move to more sustainable alternatives. Paper and board FCM are convenient alternatives but must be safe for consumers. This study aims to investigate potential migrations of various substances (e.g., plasticizers, photoinitiators, primary aromatic amines, mineral oil, and bisphenols) from straws and takeaway articles made of paper and board. Twenty straws and fifty-eight takeaway articles were carefully selected and investigated using liquid and gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry or flame ionization detector. Fourteen substances of all the targeted categories were found in takeaway articles, including seven plasticizers, two photoinitiators, one primary aromatic amine, two bisphenols, and the saturated and aromatic fraction of mineral oil (MOSH and MOAH, respectively). In straws, fewer substances were detected, i.e., six substances, including three plasticizers, one photoinitiator, MOSH, and MOAH. At least one of the target substances was detected in 88% of the samples, demonstrating the importance of further evaluation of these materials. Finally, the associated risks were assessed, highlighting the potential risks for several types of articles regarding bisphenol A, one primary aromatic amine (3.3-DMB), and MOSH and MOAH.

Effect of relative humidity on the desorption of odour-active volatile organic compounds from paper and board: sensory evaluation and migration to Tenax®

Paper and board are used for packaging of moist as well as dry food. According to Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, food contact materials (FCM) must not bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics of foodstuffs. For testing the transfer of off-flavour (taint) from packaging to food via the gas phase (DIN EN 1230-2), relative humidity (rH) has to be adjusted. In contrast, rH is neither taken into account when testing the odour (DIN EN 1230-1), nor in chemical migration of volatile organic substances (VOC) onto the adsorbent Tenax® (DIN EN 14338). In this work, effect of different rHs on the desorption of VOC from paper and board was investigated by GC-MS analysis as well as by human sensory tests. Raising humidity led to an increase in VOC transfer, which was observed by increasing peak areas as well as the detection of more substances in GC-MS. Analytical results were in line with human sensory tests. The odour profile of the paper at 33 and 58% rH was described as cardboard-like, sweet and smoky. Impact substances for these olfactory impressions were (E)-2-nonenal, vanillin and 2-methoxyphenol as identified by GC with an olfactory detection port (GC-ODP). The increase to 75 and 100% rH resulted in the additional perception of cheesy/sweaty and fatty/rancid impressions, which were primarily caused by short-chain fatty acids and di-unsaturated aldehydes.

Research Progress of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pretreatment Methods and Application of Computer Simulation Technology for Prediction and Degradation of Electrochemical Concentration Detection

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic compounds that are composed of aromatic rings containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms. They are one of the widespread environmental pollutants in the world. In recent years, many scholars have focused on the inhibition, formation mechanism, content of active components, and biodegradation effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They summarized the research progress of pretreatment methods for detection, but rarely discussed the experimental dataset for comprehensive analysis of pollution sources and the impact of different pretreatment technologies on the extraction of different substrates. What is more, computer simulation has not been mentioned. In this study, the pollution sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reviewed, and the related applications of various pretreatment methods such as gel permeation chromatography (GPC) are summarized. Finally, the computer simulation of the response surface method is introduced. The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is tested or predicted by combining the neural network with the alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm, artificial population algorithm (ABC), and hierarchical genetic algorithm (HGA). Its future development trend is discussed and prospected, which provides a reference for solving the pollution problem. We look forward to providing help for the follow-up research of scholars in this field.

How to make the use of recycled paperboard fit for food contact? A contribution to the discussion

Recycled paperboard contains hundreds of non-evaluated or even unidentified substances that could endanger human health if they turn out to be highly toxic. It seems as unrealistic to evaluate each of them as it is to phase out the use of the problematic ones or sort out the papers and boards introducing them into the recyclate. Therefore, measures should be taken that generally reduce migration into food, such as functional barriers or functional sorbents. A general approach is used for the recycling of plastics, particularly poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET: as not every potential contaminant can be regulated, a pragmatic approach is applied, for PET mainly on the required decontamination efficiency. Criteria are required on the required efficacy of the measures to be taken. Recycled paperboard is used for various types of food contact: mostly contact is through the gas phase (evaporation and recondensation), often indirect through other layers (e.g. internal bags or for transport boxes), seldom in wetting contact. Numerous factors have to be considered. For typical folding boxes and at least strongly dominating gas phase contact, it was proposed that no more than 1% of each contaminant in the recycled paperboard should enter the food. The efficiency of the measures required to comply with this criterion depends on the application. The three main measures are reviewed with regard to this criterion: (i) internal bags with an incorporated functional barrier (successfully used for some time), (ii) a barrier layer on the internal wall of the box (for which the design of the closures might be most critical) and (iii) functional sorbents added to the paperboard (for which the sorbent capacity is critical). For transport boxes, commonly of corrugated board (quantitatively the most important use of recycled paperboard in food contact), an adjusted or different criterion is needed.