Microplastic Migration from Food Packaging on Cheese

<i>Cretan Graviera</i> cheese is one of Greece’s most prized cheeses and holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. For years, food packaging migration has been a key concern in food and health sciences, with plastics like low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP)...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Klytaimnistra Katsara, Zacharias Viskadourakis, George Kenanakis, Vassilis M. Papadakis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Microplastics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/4/2/17
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Summary:<i>Cretan Graviera</i> cheese is one of Greece’s most prized cheeses and holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. For years, food packaging migration has been a key concern in food and health sciences, with plastics like low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) widely used for cheese preservation and convenient handling during transport and storage. This study focused on <i>Cretan Graviera</i> cheese, examining two different levels of maturity: 4 and 8 months. The cheese samples were analyzed using two complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques, FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopy, to assess the migration of LDPE and PP from plastic packaging to the cheese’s surface. The experimental period was set at 21 days, corresponding to the degradation time of the selected cheese, which becomes apparent after three weeks under refrigerated conditions at 7 °C. The results indicate that, with Raman and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, LDPE and PP migration can occur from the plastic packaging to the surface of <i>Graviera</i> samples with different maturities. Microbial growth was observed sooner in the 4-month-old samples and 8-month-old samples. The migration of food packaging materials was confirmed using both Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, highlighting that <i>Cretan Graviera</i> cheese should be stored in appropriate packaging under refrigerated conditions at 7 °C.
ISSN:2673-8929