Migration of Chemical Compounds from Packaging Polymers during Microwave, Conventional Heat Treatment, and Storage

TLDR

Polymeric food packaging protects food during storage and transport, but additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, and stabilizers can migrate into food during processing or storage, potentially compromising quality and safety. This review aims to comprehensively overview chemical migration into food or simulants under various heat treatments and storage conditions, and to discuss related regulatory issues. Researchers assess migration by exposing food or simulants to conventional and microwave heating and storage, analyzing samples chromatographically or spectroscopically, and using the data to build kinetic and risk assessment models.

Abstract

Abstract Polymeric packaging protects food during storage and transportation, and withstands mechanical and thermal stresses from high‐temperature conventional retort or microwave‐assisted food processing treatments. Chemical compounds that are incorporated within polymeric packaging materials to improve functionality, may interact with food components during processing or storage and migrate into the food. Once these compounds reach a specified limit, food quality and safety may be jeopardized. Possible chemical migrants include plasticizers, antioxidants, thermal stabilizers, slip compounds, and monomers. Chemical migration from food packaging is affected by a number of parameters including the nature and complexity of food, the contact time and temperature of the system, the type of packaging contact layer, and the properties of the migrants. Researchers study the migration of food‐packaging compounds by exposing food or food‐simulating liquids to conventional and microwave heating and storage conditions, primarily through chromatographic or spectroscopic methods; from these data, they develop kinetic and risk assessment models. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the migration of chemical compounds into food or food simulants exposed to various heat treatments and storage conditions, as well as a discussion of regulatory issues.