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

Plastics Additives Compounding April 2 2


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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

Plastics Additives Compounding April ZOO 2


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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

[email protected]

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

RES No.01 1 - USE THE FAST NEW ENQUIRY SERVICE Q www.addcomp.com

Plastics Additives Compounding

April

2002

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Additives in food packaging.pdf