SAFETY EVALUATION OF AN IONIZED MULTILAYER PLASTIC FILM USED FOR VACUUM COOKING AND MEAT PRESERVATION

The main concern in safety evaluation of ionized plastic food packagin g materials is the possible formation of unsuspected potential migrant s. Solvent extracts and migrates of a polypropylene-based multilayer f ilm, beta-irradiated at 80 kGy and widely used for vacuum cooking of p ackaged meat were studied, using complementary analytical techniques. H-1-NMR and HPLC showed that 96% of the initial phenolic stabilizer wa s not found after irradiation. A phosphite stabilizer and its reaction products, identified by GC-MS, accounted for 35% of the initial amoun t. The sum of all potential migrants derived from the additives accoun ted for less than 1% of global migration. This global migration was ma inly due to oligomers. By comparison our results with literature work done with the same film, but at lower doses, it was suggested that lar ger electron beam doses reduce the possibility of migration and enhanc e rite consumer's safety.