PLASTICS PACKAGING 1. Styrene monomer:Styrene monomer (boiling point 145) which is a potent mutagen in a number of test systems.

Its further metabolism produces hippuric acid. The most frequently observed changes from the toxic effects of styrene in humans are of a neurological and psychological nature. Styrene acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, has a toxic effect on the liver and causes neurological impairment. Levels of styrene monomer in food packaging were reported to range from 60 to 2250 ppm. The monomer migrated into food-simulating solvents from styrene containing beverage containers. The average values for styrene migrating into 8% ethanol were 27 ppb for foam cups, 52 ppb for HIPS containers and 151 ppb for crystal PS glasses. The maximum tolerable daily intake (TDI) of styrene is 40 g/kg body weight set by the Joint FAO/WHO Committee on Food Additives in 1984. Styrene contamination of foods is generally apparent as a characteristic, unpleasant, plastic-like chemical odor or taste. 2. Acrylonitrile (AN) Monomer:Acrylonitrile (boiling point 77.5C) is a component of several polymers used as food packaging materials, ehre the basic terpolymer material contains as much as 70% AN in conjunction with styrene or butadiene. In 1975, the commissioner published a regulation that limited residual AN monomer levels to 80 ppm in the wall of the container and stipulated that monomer migration into the food could not be greater than 0.3 ppm. AN copolymers were not approved for alcoholic drinks. 3. Plasticizers:A plasticizer is a substance that is incorporated into a material (usually a plastic or elastomer) to increase its flexibility and processability. The vast majority of plasticizers are esters of phthalic acid (phthalates) with a wide variety of long chain alcohols containing up to 13 carbon atoms. They also include those based on adipic acid. About 90% of all plasticizers are used to convert PVC into a soft, elastic material.

a) Phthalate and Adipate esters:Phthalates are among the chemicals that have been labeled as xenoestrogens. Of the phthalic acid esters, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is the most widely used. DEHP is also known as dioctyl phthalate (DOP), the terms di-2-ethyl and dioctyl being synonymous. These have been granted prior sanction by the FDA as plasticizers in the manufacture of food packaging materials for food of high water content only. Minor uses of phthalates in food packaging include use as plasticizers in cap liners made from PVC plastisols. An analysis of butter and margarine packed in an aluminum foil-paper laminate revealed concentrations of dibutyl, butylbenzyl or DEHPs up to 10.6, 47.8 and 11.9 g/kg respectively. The maximum intake of DEHA in the U.K. in 1990 was estimated as 8.2 mg per person per day. b) Acetyltributylm Citrate (ATBC):ATBC is plasticizer formed by the esterification of citric acid. It is considered a prior-sanctioned food ingredient and is not classified as a food additive by the U.S. FDA. The migration levels represent losses ranging from 1 to 51% of the available plasticizer. Aquesous foods gave low migration, and the apparently high level of 24.7 mg/kg of ATBC found in spinach was a reflection of the high film surface area to weight ratio used for cooking this product. The highest levels of migration were found where the film was used as a liner or wrap with direct contact with a fatty food surface. c) Epoxidized Soy Bean Oil:Epoxidized seed and vegetable oils such as epoxidized soy bean oil (ESBO) are widely used in a range of food-contact materials to serve as multifunctional additives exhibiting plasticizer, lubricant, and heat stabilizer properties. PVC gaskets can contain ESBO levels up to 30%. An average level of ESBO of 2 mg/kg in baby food packaged in glass jars with PVC gaskets has been reported. 4. Antioxidants:Antioxidants are used to prevent degradation of the polymer as a result of its reaction with atmospheric oxygen during molding operations at high temperature

or when used in contact with hot foods. Derivatives of phenols and organic sulfides are most frequently used. Some ingredients from milk could penetrate the HDPE, even at such a low temperature and modify the migration propensity of the BHT. 5. Odors and taints:Taints are unpleasant odors or flavors imparted to food through external sources, while off-flavors are unpleasant odors or flavors imparted to food through internal deteriorative change. Because of the complex structure and chemical composition of package systems, a variety of chemical reactions can occur during package manufacture and use. These reactions occur between some packaging components. These compounds then migrate through the material during storage and slowly diffuse into product or package headspace. Identification and analysis of these compounds is very difficult and many isolation and concentration steps are required. Unsaturated carbonyl compounds, particularly C6-C10 constitute an important class of odor producing substances because they occur in nature, have low threshold levels and are relatively stable owing to their conjugated doublebond structure. Other oxygen and sulphur derivatives and some hydrocarbons are also important off-odor compounds. a) Solvents:During printing of plastic packaging materials, the inks may be applied dissolved or dispersed in solvents which are subsequently removed by evaporation, usually in specially designed ovens. The amount of solvent that enters a food depends on the portioning of the solvent between the package materials and the contained food. The partition coefficients of six printing ink solvents (ehyl acetate, hexane, isopropanol, 2-methyloxyethanol, methyl ethyl ketone and toluene) in high-fat cookies, soybean oil and chocolate liquor have been determined. Off-flavor was detected in a fruity soft drink packaged in a laminated pouch. The ultimate cause of excessive residual toluene was found to be inadequate drying during lamination. b) Monomers:Off-flavor problem in chocolate and lemon cream cookies packaged in PS trays and overwrapped with printed RCF may be caused due to styrene monomer from the PS trays, with levels of residual monomer in the trays of 0.18-0.20%.

c) Polyethylene:Polyethylene can develop a wax-like odor if the package is overheated. Fatty acid amide can cause odor problems when it is store too long or under conditions where the compounds can oxidize. d) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET):PET polymers are widely used in film, foil and bottle form to package foods. The major significant volatile compound in PET is acetaldehyde, and this is concern of odor quality. Acetaldehyde is also the major cause of color change in PET during aging. Migration of PET oligomers is of very low levels from PET bottles into alcoholic and carbonated beverages. Total levels of migration of PET oligomers from PET trays and susceptors were found to range from 0.02-2.73 mg/kg depending on the food and the temperature attained during cooking.

METAL PACKAGING 1. Tin:The provisional tolerable weekly intake for tin is 14 mg/kg body weight and recommended maximum permissible levels of tin in food are typically 250 mg/kg for solid foods and 150 mg/kg for beverages. Although no long term health effects are associated with consuming tin, there appears to be a small amount of evidence suggesting that consumption of food or beverages containing tin at concentrations at or below 200 mg/kg can cause adverse gastrointestinal effects. Mean levels of tin in welded cans of fruits and vegetables have been reported as 3 mg/kg in enamel cans and 90 mg/kg in plain cans. The major concern with organotin compounds arises from tributyl tin (TBT), which is used extensively as a marine antifouling agent. 2. Lead:The toxicity of lead, especially to the neonate, is a matter of great concern. Subacute of ingestion of lead by children results in encephalopathy, convulsions and mental retardation. Regulatory limits for lead are 2 mg/kg in canned foods generally, but only 0.5 mg/kg for baby foods and 0.2 mg/kg for soft drinks. EC

Regulation 466/2001 limits lead in cow milk and infant formulae to 0.02 mg/kg and 0.05 mg/kg in fruit juices. To obtain the lower lead levels in baby foods, it is common to use a pure tin solder. 3. Aluminum:Interest in the aluminum content of foods and diets is related to concerns about the possible association of excessive intake or elevated tissue levels of this element with various disorders such as dialysis encephalopathy, osteodystrophy and microcytic anemia. Aluminum forms an oxide layer very quickly on exposure to air even after manufacture; it can still be attacked by certain foods, especially those containing acids or salts. Pure aluminum is not used as a food packaging material. Instead, to provide strength, improve formability and increase corrosion resistance, various alloying elements are added, including iron, zinc, copper, manganese and chromium. These metals, as well as aluminum itself, may migrate into the food if corrosion takes place. High aluminum concentrations of 400 to 800 ppb were detected in these beverages after storage periods >400 days, while low aluminum levels of 15 to 20 ppb were found in colas stored in bottles made of glass or PET. 4. Chromium:The tin layer in tinplate cans undergoes a chromium treatment known as passivation in order to make it more resistant to oxidation and to improve enamel adherence. The chromium deposition on the tinplate after passivation can amount to 0.5 g/cm2, and if all this chromium dissolves in the food, it would result in contamination of the content of a 454-g can with about 0.4 mg/kg. 5. Epoxy Resin Coatings:Epoxy resins are thermosetting resins that contain two or more epoxide (oxirane) groups per molecule and are obtained by the condensation of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A, which yields bisphenol A diglycidyl ethers (BADGEs) of varying degree of condensation. The mechanisms involved in the migration of bisphenol A from cans enamels into drinks reports that it is necessary to heat the can to a temperature above the glass-transition temperature of the epoxy resins (105C) in order for the compound to be mobilized. The FDA concluded that there is no public health concern regarding these chemicals.

PAPER PACKAGING 1. Dioxins:Dioxin is the generic name for members of the family of polychlorinated dibenzop-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The 2, 3, 7, 8tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin isomer is most toxic isomer. The reported levels of dioxin in paperboard are extremely low and of the order of 4 to 5 ppt. Due to extremely low risk presented by dioxins in milk, suppliers of bleached paperboard have adopted bleaching processes that reduce or avoid the production of dioxins in paper and paperboard. 2. Benzophenone:Benzophenone (diphenyl ketone, Ph2C=O) is widely used as photoinitiator for inks and varnishes/lacquers that are cured with UV light. Benzophenone is an excellent wetting agent for pigments and acts as a reactive solvent, increasing the flow of inks. Such inks typically contain 5 to 10% photoinitiator. The highest migration levels of this were 7.3 mg/dm2 found in a high-fat chocolate confectionary product packaged in direct contact with cartonboard. Migrations of benzophenone from printed cartonboard have been carried out at freezer temperature and during microwave heating. Benzophenone was found to migrate to the packaged food, even from LDPE-coated board.

3. Nitrosamines:N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and morpholine (MOR) are present as contaminants and can migrate into foods that come into direct contact with them for prolonged periods. After ingestion, the migrated amines can form nitrosamines in vivo in the acidic environment of the human stomach owing to the interaction with salivary or ingested nitrite. Large amounts of steam and water are used in the manufacture of paper and paperboard packaging, so there is a chance of finding both MOR and NMOR as contaminants in such products.

4. Chlorophenols and Chloroanisoles:Tainting and off-flavors in foods from contamination by chlorophenols and chloroanisoles originating from packaging material. They have very low sensory thresholds. Chlorophenols have been used industrially as fungicides, biocides and herbicides intermediates. The corresponding choloropheno, present in high concentrations in the cartons manufactured from recycled waste materials, was the precursor of chloroanisole.

GLASS PACKAGING Silica and alkali are the main components leached from the glass. The main chemicals extracted into aqueous solutions (i.e., silica and sodium oxide) are unlikely to have a significant effect on the organoleptic properties of foods. The danger of contamination by leaching of lead and cadmium from glass into food is remote because these two metals seldom occur in glasses used in food-contact applications. Lead crystal glasses and decanters found that port wine, originally containing 89 ppb of lead increased to several thousand parts per billion after 4 months of contact. Lead concentration did not rise in wine poured into nonleadcontaining glasses. Glass and glass ceramic articles meet an overall migration limit of 60 mg/L or 10 mg/dm2, and lead and cadmium limits of 5 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L respectively.