food contact materials & toxicants Flashcards

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1
Q

The major food contact materials: (6)

A
metal (aluminum, stainless steel, Cu, Fe, titanium, etc)
glass
ceramic
wood
paper/carboard
plastic/polymers
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2
Q

What are plastic polymers made of?

A
  1. monomers + other “building block” substances (need many units)
  2. ADDITIVES: organic or inorganic
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3
Q

What are the plastic polymer types? (6)

A
polystyrene (PS)
polyethylene (PE)
polypropylene (PP)
polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
polycarbonate (PC)
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4
Q

What are the purposes of additives in plastic?

A
plasticizer (softer, flexible)
flame retardant
stabilizer (last longer)
lubricating (feel smooth)
pigment
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5
Q

Why might some materials be of concern for food processing/packaging?

A

chemicals may migrate into food

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6
Q

what chemicals may migrate from a metal can? (2)

A
  • metals from corrosion

- epoxy resins from inner polymer coating

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7
Q

What can migrate from enamel materials?

A

metals, from pigment and material

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8
Q

plastic wraps and materials can lead to migrating ____, ____, and also _____ due to ______.

A

monomers, additives, breakdown products; thermal/photodegradation

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9
Q

How might PCPs be introduced to food from packaging?

A

From treated wood

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10
Q

What is a good information source for food safety recalls?

A

RASFF portal (from european commission)

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11
Q

what is ITX, and how was it implicated recently in food safety?

A

isopropyl thioxanthone
(used as photoinitiator in ink, on packaging label)
found in baby cereal + formula
very good at migrating, can even penetrate through plastic!

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12
Q

what 2 well known plastic additives are routinely measured for food safety?

A

BPA (bisphenol A)

phthalates (DEHP)

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13
Q

What is the role of phthlates in plastic?

A

plasticizer; soften and make flexible/pliable

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14
Q

phthalates are (hydrophobic/hydrophilic) and can be easily extracted by _____ foods.

A

hydrophobic

oily

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15
Q

The plasticizer DHP is a type of _____, and given IARC classification of ___. What are the toxicity effects?

A

pthalate
2B
possible carcinogen, testicular toxicity, fertility/developmental toxicity (possible endocrine disruptor)

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16
Q

An example of a degradation product from plastic is ______, which may cause damage on _______.

A

semicarbazide

bone, cartilage, aorta

17
Q

What are potential toxicity effects of BPA?

A

cause changes in liver/kidney

reproductive toxicity

18
Q

is BPA in food plastics of significant concern? Why or why not?

A

No; exposure levels are much lower than the high amounts needed for reproductive toxicity effects

19
Q

Why might elimination of BPA or other additives be problematic

A

need to replace with other additive to maintain plastic quality!
new additives may be untested, even more unsafe

20
Q

What is an endocrine disruptor? give some examples

A

compounds that interfere with hormone system in human body

  • can block hormones, mimic hormones -> affect hormone action or behaviour (very complex)
    ex: POPs (PCBs, PBDEs, DDT), phthalates, phenols (BPA, etc)
21
Q

true/false: bottled water is a particularly concerning source of phthalates

A

False; lower levels in water than food, and unlikely to come from packaging material itself

22
Q

The migration of chemicals between packaging and food is a _____ process, and assumed to follow _____.

A

diffusion

Fick’s Law of diffusion

23
Q

What causes the diffusion of chemicals into food?

A

Higher concentration in packaging -> migrate to area of lower concentration

24
Q

A substance that diffuses (fast/slow) will quickly reach _____. The relative concentrations in the material vs food is the _____.

A

fast; equilibrium (no more change in conc)

partition coefficient

25
Q

the level of migration depends on:

A
  1. time
  2. product composition (affinity for compound)
  3. pH
  4. temp (hotter -> faster diffusion)
26
Q

Migration tests are usually conducted at ____ C. Why?

A

40C

mimic accelerated migration (worst case scenarios)

27
Q

What types of assays can be used for migration tests?

A
  1. use real food items
  2. use food simulants
  3. computer models
28
Q

pros/cons of using real food items for migration tests:

A

pros: more accurate for that specific food, mimic real life scenario
cons: need to reassess for different foods, intensive process to extract analyte to determine migration

29
Q

What is the process for a real food item migration test?

A

in contact with material for 3-5 days

extract, purify, analyze for compound

30
Q

What are food simulants, and what is the advantage of using them instead of real food?

A

substances (made from pure chemicals) that mimic behaviour of food matrix under worst case scenario conditions
- “cleaner” matrix (less interference), easier extraction, applicable for many foods of that type

31
Q

How does a computer model work for migration tests?

A

Input certain parameters (food and polymer composition, time, temp, etc)
use mathematical model

32
Q

As time continues, the rate of migration will (increase/decrease), while the content in the food will (increase/decrease).

A

decrease (migrate more slowly)

increase

33
Q

HOw are food simulant migration tests conducted?

A

in contact with material for specified time (and temp)

extract and quantify with ICP-MS (metal) or GCMS, LCMS/MS (organics)

34
Q

The main simulant types: (5)

A
ACETIC ACID 3% (acidic foods)
ETHANOL 10% (aqueous food)
ETHANOL 50% (Liquor, dairy)
VEG OIL (fatty food; bulk or surface)
TENAX (dry food)
35
Q

What is “tenax?”

A

sorbent powder used as food simulant (determine if substance can migrate thru air layer into powder)

36
Q

In simulant testing, it is conducted at much (higher/lower) temperatures than the anticipated storage/usage temp. Why?

A

higher

need to mimic worst case scenario (subject to high heat, microwaves, etc) to anticipate possible situations in usage

37
Q

What are the different regulations for food contact materials

A

Canada: based on VOLUNTARY pre-market assessment
US: approved list of polymers that can be used
EU: list of monomers and additives permitted, along with SML regulations (max permitted residue in food, or quantity in material)