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Evaluation of the scientific basis of EC directives 82/711 and 85/572 and amendments- migration into simulants compared to foodstuffs

Project Code: A03004

01/03/2011

Central Science Laboratory
Castle, L ;
Kings College London
Jickells, S

There is clear evidence, from e.g. butter, fat spreads and chocolate, that longterm storage of foodstuffs at ambient temperature, is not always simulated adequately by the conventional test using simulants for 10 days at 40°C. It is recommended that new and more severe accelerated test conditions are considered for these cases. This is especially important for beverages which can have a long shelf-life and can be consumed in large amounts, and for which the conventional test using simulant A, B or C for just 10 days at 40°C can be inadequate.
It should be emphasised that this work has concentrated on the migration of rather low molecular weight substances from (generally) thin plastic packaging materials. As can be expected from basic migration theory, the exact relationship between migration into foods and into simulants depends on a number of experimental parameters. The conclusions reached for the substances studied here - that will behave rather like adventitious contaminants - will not necessarily be the same as conclusions for higher molecular weight substances such as additives or for the overall migrate measured in an overall migration test.

Final report

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