• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.97-106
• /
• 2018

This study aimed at examining the suitability of $Tenax^{(R)}$ for the migration testing of food packaging materials, which is currently approved in the EU as a dry food simulant. The results are used as a basis to examine the feasibility of introducing $Tenax^{(R)}$ to Korean regulation. The OMVs of test specimen into various solvents (diethyl ether, ethanol, pentane, and acetone) after exposure to $100^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr were compared. Diethyl ether showed the highest OMV ($1.33mg/dm^2$) among the solvents tested. When the tests were conducted with different amounts of $Tenax^{(R)}$ of 2, 4, or 8 g per specimen, the OMVs were 0.75, 1.33 and $1.40mg/dm^2$, respectively. The OMV obtained with a closed system after wrapping with aluminum foil showed a significantly higher OMV ($1.61mg/dm^2$) than that without aluminum wrapping ($1.318mg/dm^2w$) and an open system without lid ($1.06mg/dm^2$). The specific migration rates of surrogates spiked in the polyethylene test film and paper samples into $Tenax^{(R)}$ were compared with those into liquid food simulants including 95% ethanol and n-heptane, and actual foods such as starch, skim milk, and sugar. In general, the specific migration levels of surrogates into $Tenax^{(R)}$ were similar compared with n-heptane, however those were significantly higher than into actual foods. These results suggest that $Tenax^{(R)}$ may be used as a food simulant for the long-term preservation of dried foods and paper products. However, more studies need to be conducted to investigate the factors influencing the migration into $Tenax^{(R)}$, such as the types of foods and packaging materials tested, migration conditions, and surrogates properties etc.