High pressure processing (HPP) is readily gaining prominence worldwide as an alternative method of food preservation due to its benefits of... Show moreHigh pressure processing (HPP) is readily gaining prominence worldwide as an alternative method of food preservation due to its benefits of improved quality, freshness and nutrient retention. The use of polymer-based flexible packaging materials has allowed application of HPP to prepackaged food products, without significant loss of physical and mechanical properties. However, there is limited data existing on migration properties in the materials before and/or after HPP. Therefore, it’s necessary to evaluate potential migration issues in pre-packed foods during HPP (Song and Koontz, 2012). This research was conducted to determine the migration properties in cast polypropylene (CPP) films during and after HPP (71°C and 700MPa) and a comparable thermal processing (TP, 71°C and 0.1MPa), using headspace (HS) gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometer (MS) technique to quantify selected surrogate compounds (chloroform (CF), toluene (TOL), methyl salicylate (MS) and phenyl cyclohexane (PC)) in FDA-suggested food simulants (Miglyol and 10% Ethanol), and using dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA) to test glass transition temperature (Tg) of films. In general, HPP significantly decreased the migration of selected surrogates from CPP film into Miglyol or 10% Ethanol when compared to TP. For Miglyol, after 5min-HPP migration recoveries of CF, TOL, MS and PC were 53, 61, 24, and 16% respectively, while all compounds reached 100% after 5min-TP. For 10% Ethanol, recoveries of four compounds were 22.6, 12.6, 11.2, and 8.4% after HPP treatment, but were 51.0, 25.5, 21.2, and 9.2% with TP treatment. During storage at room temperature after processing, migration recoveries increased for both HPP/TP treated and non- xii processed samples; however, concentration of surrogated in HPP treated films were near or lower than those from non-processed and/or TP treated films. This research will help the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the food industry to determine whether any safety issues related to chemical migration should be addressed concerning the use of HPP in production of prepackaged foods. The results may be used in the food contact notification and petition review processes of approving new packaging materials and components for use in HPP applications (Song and Koontz, 2011). M.S. in Food Safety and Technology, May 2013 Show less
