Static liquid permeation cell method for determining the migration parameters of low molecular weight organic compounds in polyethylene terephthalate

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2013-10, Vol.30 (10), p.1837-1848
• Main Authors: Song, Yoon S, Koontz, John L, Juskelis, Rima O, Zhao, Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: benzyl alcohol; Biological and medical sciences; butyrates; chromatography - GC-MS; Diffusion; diffusivity; exposure duration; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food Packaging; Food products; Food Safety; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General aspects; glass transition temperature; Handling, storage, packaging, transport; Humans; Liquid-Liquid Extraction - instrumentation; margin of safety; methyl salicylate; migration - diffusion; Molecular Weight; Organic Chemicals - adverse effects; Organic Chemicals - analysis; Organic Chemicals - chemistry; packaging - food simulants; packaging - migration modelling; Permeability; PET; polyethylene; Polyethylene films; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polyethylene Terephthalates; Temperature; toluene
• ISSN: 1944-0057; 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2013.816878

The migration of low molecular weight organic compounds through polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films was determined by using a custom permeation cell assembly. Fatty food simulant (Miglyol 812) was added to the receptor chamber, while the donor chamber was filled with 1% and 10% (v/v) migrant compounds spiked in simulant. The permeation cell was maintained at 40°C, 66°C, 100°C or 121°C for up to 25 days of polymer film exposure time. Migrants in Miglyol were directly quantified without a liquid–liquid extraction step by headspace-GC-MS analysis. Experimental diffusion coefficients (DP) of toluene, benzyl alcohol, ethyl butyrate and methyl salicylate through PET film were determined. Results from Limm’s diffusion model showed that the predicted DP values for PET were all greater than the experimental values. DP values predicted by Piringer’s diffusion model were also greater than those determined experimentally at 66°C, 100°C and 121°C. However, Piringer’s model led to the underestimation of benzyl alcohol ( = 3.7) and methyl salicylate ( = 4.0) diffusion at 40°C with its revised “upper-bound” value of 3.1 at temperatures below the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PET (