On the suitability of hexanal assessment as a taint indicator

Hexanal emission from paper or board is often assessed as an indicator of p otential odor and tainting problems in food packaging. The present study ar gues that such analysis may not always give the correct answers. The GC-MS analysis commonly applied tend to assess the forming rate of hexanal. The f orming rate may both increase and decrease with time, depending on the samp le's age, content of metals, and how the sample was pulped and bleached. Th e hexanal level at a given point may thus provide little clue about the fut ure development. Without detailed knowledge of the actual packaging, it is difficult to relate forming rate of hexanal to a risk of tainting. However, assessing hexanal emission for a given paper grade intended for a specific packaging, may give useful information if the analysis is done at a specif ic time after the production.