73D-26 |
Development of a mathematical model to define a "functional barrier" |
A. CHANDRASEKAR, G. Sadler, and E. A. Miller. National Center for Food Safety & Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 6502 S. Archer Rd., Summit-Argo, IL 60501 Though the migration of various components of food packaging has been addressed in the literature, there still lacks a concrete definition of a functional barrier. The FDA considers 1-mil thick PET to be a functional barrier at temperatures up to 60 °C for a storage period of up to one year. To use a different polymeric package for food contact, a manufacturer has to demonstrate that at the prescribed temperature and storage period; there is no migration of components of the packaging into the food at undesirable levels. There is a lack of an equation/models, which can be used to verify whether a polymer of a given thickness is a functional barrier or not. Qualification as a functional barrier depends on such properties, as the diffusion coefficient of organic compounds in a polymer and solubility constant of the contaminant for the anticipated time and temperature of storage. Our objective is to develop an equation/model, which can be used to predict if a polymer is a functional barrier or not. This model would take into consideration, polymer properties such as diffusion coefficient and solubility constant of worst case contaminants, and can be used on a comparative scale with 1-mil PET. Diffusion data for various migrants have been using the MAS 2000 system. The results suggest that a conservative definition of functional barrier can be described from the migration behavior of chloroform and toluene in candidate polymers.
Session 73D, Food Packaging
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