REPERCUSSIONS OF THE IONIZATION OF PLASTIC PACKAGING ON THE COMPATIBILITY WITH PACKAGED FOODSTUFFS

Substances present in plastic packaging materials are potential contam inants of the foodstuffs in contact. The behaviour of stabilizers in p ackaging exposed to treatments such as ionization is of prime importan ce for the compatibility of treated materials with packaged food. In t his context, derivatives of the antioxidant Irgafos 168 (2,4-diterbuty iphenol and 1,3-diterbutylbenzene) and of the light stabilizer Tinuvin 770 (aminoxy radical) have been characterized in ionized materials or in food simulators. The observed total extracted amounts are always l ower than global migration limits allowed by legislation.