Safety and quality of plastic food packaging materials: validation of a modified chemical inertness test method for refillable poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles

The increased use of refillable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles as packaging for soft drinks has prompted us to investigate the effect of sorption of artificially introduced chemical contaminants into refillable PET bottles in order to establish a practical and easy-to-apply test procedur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European food research & technology 2004-09, Vol.219 (4), p.438-443
Main Authors: KARAMANI, Aristoula G, TRIANTAFYLLOU, Vassilios I, AKRIDA-DEMERTZI, Konstantoula, DEMERTZIS, Panagiotis G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Chemical contaminants
Chemical pollution
Contaminants
Food industries
Food packaging
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Handling, storage, packaging, transport
Hygiene and safety
Packaging materials
Polyethylene terephthalate
Sorption
Test methods
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Summary:The increased use of refillable poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles as packaging for soft drinks has prompted us to investigate the effect of sorption of artificially introduced chemical contaminants into refillable PET bottles in order to establish a practical and easy-to-apply test procedure to evaluate their chemical inertness. For this evaluation, quick laboratory procedures, which focus on the interaction of PET bottle wall strips in place of actual bottles with a selection of model contaminants representing the myriad of chemicals, are proposed. The first objective of this study was to validate a modified quick chemical inertness test method for refillable bottles by comparing the results of sorption into PET strips with those of tests using actual PET bottles. A further objective was to investigate the stability of refillable PET bottles which were stored under unfavorable conditions, in relation to the chemical inertness behavior of the material. The results indicate the suitability of the modified quick test as it satisfactorily simulates contamination of refillable PET bottles. Moreover, storage of these bottles under unfavorable conditions does not have an adverse effect on the chemical inertness behavior of the plastic material.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1438-2377
1438-2385
DOI:10.1007/s00217-004-0990-6