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The mass transfer parameters diffusion and sorption in food and packaging or between them are the key parameters for assessing a food product's shelf-life in reference to consumer safety. This has become of paramount importance owing to the legislations set by the regulated markets. The technical capabilities that can be exploited for analyzing product-package interactions have been growing rapidly. Different techniques categorized according to the state of the diffusant (gas or liquid) in contact with the packaging material are emphasized in this review. Depending on the diffusant and on the analytical question under review, the different ways to study sorption and/or migration are presented and compared. Some examples have been suggested to reach the best possible choice, consisting of a single technique or a combination of different approaches.

International audienceThe plasticizing effect of 4 model volatile compounds (n-hexane, toluene, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene), able to be sorbed on polystyrene (PS) was studied. A large weight fraction range was investigated (up to 0.35) using differential scanning calorimetry. Mathematical modeling, using Fox, Kelly-Bueche, Chow and Gordon-Taylor models, was performed to model the behavior of the glass transition temperature of PS after VOC sorption. A strong plasticization of PS was evidenced by a significant reduction in the glass transition temperature of the binary mixtures (T-gm). Among the four studied molecules, the linear one, n-hexane, displayed a better plasticizing efficiency than the aromatic ones, which lay in the same range. Indeed, a 15 % (w w(-1)) n-hexane content in PS decreased the T-gm by 84 K. The Gordon-Taylor model was the best model to fit the experimental data for all the volatile organic compounds tested