Additives in food packaging.pdf
Transcript of Additives in food packaging.pdf
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dditives in food packaging
In the United States, food packaging m aterials, including
additives in the polymers, are regulated by the U.S. Food
and Drug Adm inistration (FDA). Jennifer Markarian reports
for
Plastics
Additives
Compounding on a change in the FDA
approval system and summ arizes trends in food packaging
additives
su h
as slips, antistats, antioxidants, colorants ,
antifogs, antimicrobials and oxygen scavengers in the U SA.
hanges n FD
r gulutions
FDA requirements vary with the end-
use of the packaging material, such as
type of food that will be contacted and
usage temperature. To gain direct food
contact approval, materials must meet
extractability requirements. Although
regulations are vague in some areas, “ the
general principle is that no matter what
is in the packaging, it must not adulter-
ate the food,” explains Dr. Robert
Bussey, Regulatory Services Project
Manager at The National Food
Laboratory in Dublin, California.
A significant change in the FDA
approval procedure was instituted in
January 2000 with the new Food
Contact Notification (FCN) system. To
get approval for a new food-contact sub-
stance (FCS), the producer submits
information including composition;
intended use including additive level,
usage temperature and type of food the
substance will contact; and data on
migration of the substance into food.
Migration studies can use food-simulat-
ing solvents, such as 10 ethanol to rep-
resent aqueous, acidic and low-alcohol
foods, or a food oil or 50 or 95
ethanol to represent fatty foods, explains
Dr. Bussey. Experimental temperature
and duration are set at the most extreme
anticipated conditions. “For example,
the most extreme condition requires
heating at 121°C (250°F) for two hours,
followed by 10 days at 40°C (104”F), in
a special cell designed to withstand the
extremes of temperature and pressure,”
notes Dr. Bussey. The FDA uses migra-
tion data to estimate consumer exposure
to the substance. In the previous system,
an application could take years to gain
approval. With the FCN system, th
FDA has 120 days to review the applica
tion and object based on safety grounds,
or the substance may be marketed.
Expectations were that the new system
would result in many more applications
for new products from companies tha
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Food packaging:
otherwise would not have tried market-
ing in food applications, but it is too
early to tell how m uch impact the new
system has had, comments Steve
Hentges at American Plastics Co uncil.
Companies such as GE Specialty
Chemicals that are using the new system
report that the clearly articulated
timetable makes the process much easier.
The FCN system “is economically
attractive to compan ies since the use of
the clearance is limited to the notifying
company,” adds Naeem Mady of Ciba
Specialty Chemicals.
Although food companies have been
driving a trend towards irradiation to
prolong shelf life, general FDA guidance
on package irradiation has not yet been
published. The FDA does give advice to
companies about specific irradiation
questions. Only a few polymers are
approved for gamma irradiation of
prepackaged food and these were
approved with additive packages preva-
lent in the 196O s, notes Dr. George
Sadler of the National Center for Food
Safety and Technology (NCF ST) based
at the Illlinois Institute of Techno logy.
The NCF ST’s consortium of polymer
manufacturers, converters and food
industry representatives sponsors an
irradiation task force that is working
towards approval of contemporary addi-
tive packages and new polymers. Ciba
will be working with the FDA to devel-
op a protocol that will allow the notifi-
cation clearance of additives used in the
irradiatio n process, reports Ciba ’s
Naeem Mady.
Syn t h e t i c v ege t a b l e
derived additives
The trend continues toward use of syn-
thetic or vegetable-oil based rather than
animal-fat derived additives, agre e
industry experts. In Europe, this trend
is due to concern of bovine spongioform
encephalopathy (BSE). Since many
companies have customers globally, the
concern has spread to the U.S. as well.
Some companies continue to be interest-
ed in vegetable-based additives for
kosher-certified applications.
S l i p s and antistats
Slip and antistat additives, which func-
tion a t the surface of the plastic part, are
traditionally migratory. The additives
are difficult to predict and control
because migration occurs over time and
depends on part thickness and polymer
crystallinity,
explains Dr. Victor
Mimeault, Senior Vice President
Technical at Ampacet Corporation.
Ampacet introduced non-migratory,
surface-functio nal slip and antistat
produ cts that fit a need for controllab le,
predictable performance in premium
films. Oth er advan tages of the slip ar
that it can be used at higher tempera-
tures than conventional slips and has n
adverse effect on sealing. The non-
migratory antistat does not interact with
adhesives, has no effect on sealing o
printing and has high thermal stability.
Its antistatic properties last longer rh an
those of conventional migrating antis-
tats and its surface resistivity is similar
50 and 12 relative humidity. The
non-migratory additives are used
much higher levels than traditional
additives and so are more ex pensive.
They find use in coextruded structures,
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such as a film that has slip on the inside
but not on the outside, says Dr.
Mimeault.
One trend for antistatic additives is the
use of longer chain materials, explains
Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, technical service
and market development manager for
polymer
additives at Akzo Nobel
Polymer Chemicals. Longer chain antis-
tats provide higher temperature process-
ing stability, which is in increasing
demand as extruders are pushed to faster
rates. A trend for slip additives is to use
higher purity slips with reduced short-
chain (four- to nine- carbon) impurities.
These higher purity slips have lower
organoleptics, or taste and odour com-
ponents, notes Dr. Sharma.
Croda recently introduced a low-
organoleptic erucamide slip product
called IncroslipC@ that has advantages
for the bottled water and beer indus-
tries. Plastic screw-type bottle closures
contain high amounts of slip to enable
torque release. Irradiation or steriliza-
tion of bottles by UV or ozone can
degrade the trace amounts of byprod-
ucts inherent in erucamide and produce
off-tastes and odours. IncroslipC has
improved stability and is less suscepti-
ble to degradation than standard
torque-release products, notes the
company.
n t i o x i d a n t s
Two new, high performance antioxi-
dants from GE Specialty Chemicals
perform well under harsh conditions
such as gamma irradiation of food
packaging, notes Benjamin Watkins,
stabilizer business leader at GE.
Ultranox@ 641 is GE’s improved solid
phosphite, and GenoxrM EP is an
amine oxide derived from vegetable
oils.
Clariant introduced Hostanox 03, a
phenolic antioxidant with reduced
water extractability that gives it an
advantage in liquid food products and
in those applications requiring excellent
post thermo-oxidative stability a
150°C after I4 days hot boiling water
extraction. The antioxidant reportedly
does not discolour, as typical phenolics
do in either a quinone methide dimer-
ization reaction in the dark that causes
pinking or in a gas-staining reaction
with prompt oxides of nitrogen that
causes yellowing.
Ciba has received positive feedback
from companies using its Vitamin E
antioxidants for improved organoleptic
properties for sensitive applications
such as plastic milk and beverage bot-
tles. Ciba@ Irganox@ E 201 is a power-
ful stabilizer that is effective at very low
concentrations
because it
reacts
with carbon-centered radicals, says the
company.
Colorants
A variety of organic and inorganic col-
orants are allowed by FDA for indirect
food
contact; other colorants are
exempted from FDA regulation based
on migration testing in a specific poly-
mer for a specific application. “Over the
past two to three years, we have seen an
increase in the number of FDA exemp-
tions, especially for dyes, which are not
allowed by FDA,” explains John Wood,
technical manager at Teknor Color
Company, a subsidiary of Teknor Apex
Company. The industry trend towards
thinner parts creates a need for a higher
colorant loading to maintain color
intensity and opacity. This has driven
demand for higher pigment levels in
‘super concentrates’ to maintain cost-
effectiveness.
“High-efficiency concen-
trates can contain pigment loadings of
75 or greater, compared to levels of
2
to 50 for conventional concentrates,”
says Mr. Wood.
n t i f o g s
In fresh-cut produce packaging, antifogs
prevent the film from fogging so that the
consumer can see the product clearly.
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Food packaging
“The use of antifogs in fresh food
packaging is on the increase and will
continue into the future as new applica-
tions as well as new polymer entrants
into the fresh food packaging industry
continue to evolve,” comments Ciba.
Antifogs act as a surfactant, so that
moisture given off by produce forms a
transparent, continuous film on the
package surface rather than forming
beads of
water, explains Jeff
Brandenburg, president of The JSB
Group, a food packaging consultancy
based in Massachusetts. Antifogs can be
impregnated into the film as an additive
or applied as a liquid coating. A new
trend towards microwaving of fresh-cut
produce packages, such as spinach prod-
ucts, has led to challenges of meeting
performance requirements and regulato-
ry requirements, which are stricter at
elevated temperatures, comments Mr.
Brandenburg.
Cryovac Inc., a subsidiary of Sealed Air
Corporation, produces films with an
anti-fog coating. For example, the
Cryovac @ Microwaveable Vegetable Bag,
which won a Flexible
Packaging Association
award in 2000, has an
antifog coating. The coat-
ing also aids in improving
the shelf life of the vegeta-
bles, says the company.
The extended shelf life is
due in part to the perme-
ability of the package, but
also to the “synergistic
effect of the antifog coat-
ing that reduces moisture,
which can encourage the
growth of spoilage bacte-
ria,”
says Myra Hughes,
fresh-cut produce market-
ing manager for Cryovac.
nt imicrobia ls
The use of antimicrobials,
or biocides, in packaging is
a growing trend in the global food pack-
aging industry. In the U.S., many of the
antimicrobials in use protect the pack-
aging or the packaging raw materials,
although recent interest has been in
antimicrobials to protect the packaged
food. Anti-microbials that are incorpo-
rated into food packaging are regulated
by the FDA under the Federal Food,
Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).
Under the FFDCA, the FDA ensures
that such antimicrobial uses are safe
with respect to any potential human
dietary intake. Unrelated to federal
requirements under the FFCDA,
antimicrobial products used in food
packaging that have no intended
antimicrobial effect on the processed
food in the package are subject to EPA
registration as pesticides under the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Anti-micro-
bials added to food or delivered to food
via the packaging are treated as direct
food additives and are not subject
to FIFRA. In
2000, the EPA
issued a Pesticide Registration Notice
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explaining FIFRA’s Treated Article
Exemption, which applies to articles
treated with an antimicrobial only to
protect the article itself. It clarified that
companies cannot make explicit or
implicit health benefit claims and must
state to customers that the biocide is
solely for protection of the article when
marketing products qualifying for the
Treated Article Exemption. Research at
Clemson University has looked at coat-
ing food packages with nisin, particular-
ly for hot dog packaging, explains Dr.
Kay Cooksey, associate professor of
packaging science. Nisin is produced
commercially under the trade name
Nisaplin@ by Aplin-Barrett in the U.K.,
and can be compounded into the pack-
aging polymer or applied as a powder or
a coating. It is widely used in Europe
but not extensively in the U.S., although
it has FDA approval, notes Dr. Cooksey.
Silver compounds are also used in
Europe and have FDA approval for
some applications. Other research is
looking at additives that produce the
antimicrobial chlorine dioxide under
certain relative humidity or UV light
conditions. The advantage of these sys-
tems is that the antimicrobial could pro-
tect any product within the package, not
just what comes in contact with pro-
tective coating, notes Dr. Robert Testin,
professor of packaging science at
Clemson. Chlorine dioxide is also less
expensive and effective for a broader
range of microorganisms than nisin,
adds Dr. Cooksey. The additives are cur-
rently being used in a sachet inside the
package, but can be compounded into
the packaging polymer. Bernard
Technologies holds patents on this tech-
nology and received GRAS notification
from FDA. Current research at Clemson
is investigating ways to improve the
release of the product into the package.
freshness indic ators
A major trend in the food industry ov
the past several years has been the con
sumer’s desire for freshness in taste an
appearance and freshness indicators are a
upcoming technology, predicts Dr. Testin
Modified atmosphere packaging control
the flow of carbon dioxide through th
food package to extend shelf life, but
dependent on storage conditions in th
store or home. Indicators to show when
food has begun to decay are currently
being used in bulk packaging, such as th
Vistab
8
adhesive labels from Co
Technologies. Current research is focuse
on making indicators cost-effective f
individual packaging, says Dr. Testin
Indicator dyes work by either changing
a function of time and temperature or b
reacting with a food degradation product
For example, an indicator in a sensor or
the packaging film could react with a
amine given off by fish at the beginning
decay, explains Dr. Testin.
Oxygen scavengers
The use of oxygen absorbers is a relativel
new additive trend in food packaging,
comments Ciba. Oxygen scavengers a
especially important in the trend toward
single-serve packages because of th
smaller packages’ increased surface vo
ume and exposure to oxygen,
say
Chevron-Phillips Chemical Company L
Commercial oxygen scavengers include
iron oxide powders enclosed in sachets
additives incorporated into the packaging
polymer or a polymer layer extruded
part of the package to maintain freshnes
by absorbing headspace oxygen and oxy
gen that enters the package.
Ciba’ Shelfpl
usTM 0, oxygen scavenge
is a polymer-based additive that can b
incorporated directly into the walls o
the package. It can be incorporated int
either an existing layer within the pack
age or as a distinct scavenging layer.
CP Chemical introduced an oxygen
scavenging polymer system consisting o
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Tel: +I
864
433 2387
Tel:
+I 413 772 6558
Food packaging
GE Specialty Cbemicah - Benjdmin
The National Food Laboratory - Dr.
Watkins
Robert Bussey
Tel: + I 304 284 2221
Tel: + 2 925 5514227
Illinois Institute of Technology - Dr.
Teknor Color Company
George Sadler
Tel: t I 401 725 8000 (U.S. only:
Tel:
t 1
708 563
8170
I -800-554-9885
The JSB Group - Je~Brandenburg
E-mail: info@teknorcolor, corn.
an oxidizable resin, ethylene methyl
acrylate cyclohexene methyl acrylate
(EMC M) and a masterbatch containing
a photoinitiator and a cobalt salt cata-
lyst. Other oxygen scavenging polymers
based on nylon, polypropylene, polybu-
tadiene and polyisoprene degrade on
oxidation into by-products that can
migrate into packaged food and cause
off-taste or odour, notes C P Chemical.
EMC M does not degrade into com-
pounds that cause off-taste or odour and
the photoinitiator allows the inactive
polymer to be stored and then activated
by UV light during the package filling
process, says the company.
Cryovac introduced an improved oxygen
scavenging film that reportedly removes
oxygen lo-20 faster than before. The
Cryovac @ OS Films ” slow microbial
growth and oxidative deterioration of
flavours, colou r and nutrients,” states
the company. A Nestle fresh pasta pack-
age using the film recently won an award
for technical innovation from the
Flexible Packaging Association. The oxy-
gen scavenging process increases the
shelf life of refrigerated pasta by more
than 5 0 , notes Nestle.
Contacts
Akzo Nobel Polymer Chemicals
Tel: + I 312 906 7666
Ampacet Corporation - Dr. Victor
Mimeault
Tel: I914
631 6600
ChevronPhillips Chemical Company -
Richard Schmidt
Tel: t I
713 289 4472
C a Specialty Chemicals - Patricia
Patrick
Tel: + I 314 785 4348
Clariant
Tel: t I 704 331
7000
Clemson University - Dr. Kay
Cooksey
Tel: +
1864
656 46I3
Croda Universal Inc. - Phil Ruxton
Tel:
t I 973 867 6720
Cryovac Inc.
le~ibhy
st ts in he
mind
ntqpk
Dueseldorf 2d
Hall 3 Stand 3
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April
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