Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots
A precautionary specific migration limit of 40 µg/kg for styrene from food contact materials is currently under evaluation in Europe. In the ongoing discussion about applicable methods to demonstrate compliance, testing with food instead of simulants or total transfer calculations has been proposed....
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/19/9056 |
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| author | Valeria Guazzotti Veronika Hendrich Anita Gruner Dominik Fiedler Angela Störmer Frank Welle |
| author_facet | Valeria Guazzotti Veronika Hendrich Anita Gruner Dominik Fiedler Angela Störmer Frank Welle |
| author_sort | Valeria Guazzotti |
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| description | A precautionary specific migration limit of 40 µg/kg for styrene from food contact materials is currently under evaluation in Europe. In the ongoing discussion about applicable methods to demonstrate compliance, testing with food instead of simulants or total transfer calculations has been proposed. In this study, the residual styrene levels in high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) blended with general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) were determined at several levels of the processing chain of yoghurt pots (from pellets to sheets, then to pots). The styrene migration from extruded sheets and thermoformed pots was analyzed in food simulants at 10 days/20 °C and 40 °C, as well as in yoghurt after storage at 8 °C after 50 days. The obtained results show that the residual styrene content in the PS materials correlates with migration. However, the migration of styrene was far below the total transfer assumption. Styrene migration from the sheets into food simulants and into yoghurt exceeded that migrating from the pots. Styrene migration into food simulants in 20% ethanol at 10 days/20 °C and 40 °C and, more clearly, in 50% ethanol at 10 days/40 °C, was higher than that into yoghurt tested on the best-before date. Styrene migration from PS pots into yoghurt after storage at 8 °C for 50 days reached up to 15 µg/kg (applying the EU cube model), which would be conservatively covered by testing the PS pots with 20% ethanol at 10 days/20 °C. |
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| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-cc1be007d6554faca8a3cfcf16dbca312025-08-20T01:47:42ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-10-011419905610.3390/app14199056Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt PotsValeria Guazzotti0Veronika Hendrich1Anita Gruner2Dominik Fiedler3Angela Störmer4Frank Welle5Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, IVV., Giggenhauser Straße 35, 85354 Freising, GermanyA precautionary specific migration limit of 40 µg/kg for styrene from food contact materials is currently under evaluation in Europe. In the ongoing discussion about applicable methods to demonstrate compliance, testing with food instead of simulants or total transfer calculations has been proposed. In this study, the residual styrene levels in high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) blended with general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) were determined at several levels of the processing chain of yoghurt pots (from pellets to sheets, then to pots). The styrene migration from extruded sheets and thermoformed pots was analyzed in food simulants at 10 days/20 °C and 40 °C, as well as in yoghurt after storage at 8 °C after 50 days. The obtained results show that the residual styrene content in the PS materials correlates with migration. However, the migration of styrene was far below the total transfer assumption. Styrene migration from the sheets into food simulants and into yoghurt exceeded that migrating from the pots. Styrene migration into food simulants in 20% ethanol at 10 days/20 °C and 40 °C and, more clearly, in 50% ethanol at 10 days/40 °C, was higher than that into yoghurt tested on the best-before date. Styrene migration from PS pots into yoghurt after storage at 8 °C for 50 days reached up to 15 µg/kg (applying the EU cube model), which would be conservatively covered by testing the PS pots with 20% ethanol at 10 days/20 °C.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/19/9056styrenemigrationpolystyrenefood packagingcompliance testing |
| spellingShingle | Valeria Guazzotti Veronika Hendrich Anita Gruner Dominik Fiedler Angela Störmer Frank Welle Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots Applied Sciences styrene migration polystyrene food packaging compliance testing |
| title | Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots |
| title_full | Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots |
| title_fullStr | Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots |
| title_short | Styrene Migration from Polystyrene for Food Contact: A Case Study on the Processing Chain of Yoghurt Pots |
| title_sort | styrene migration from polystyrene for food contact a case study on the processing chain of yoghurt pots |
| topic | styrene migration polystyrene food packaging compliance testing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/19/9056 |
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