Polymeric packaging protects food during storage and transportation, and withstands mechanical and thermal stresses from high-temperature conventional retort or microwave-assisted food processing treatments. Chemical compounds that are incorporated within polymeric packaging materials to improve functionality, may interact with food components during processing or storage and migrate into the food. Once these compounds reach a specified limit, food quality and safety may be jeopardized. Possible chemical migrants include plasticizers, antioxidants, thermal stabilizers, slip compounds, and monomers. Chemical migration from food packaging is affected by a number of parameters including the nature and complexity of food, the contact time and temperature of the system, the type of packaging contact layer, and the properties of the migrants. Researchers study the migration of food-packaging compounds by exposing food or foodsimulating liquids to conventional and microwave heating and storage conditions, primarily through chromatographic or spectroscopic methods; from these data, they develop kinetic and risk assessment models. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the migration of chemical compounds into food or food simulants exposed to various heat treatments and storage conditions, as well as a discussion of regulatory issues.

It is a priority to develop polymeric packaging that can withstand microwave‐assisted thermal sterilization (MATS) and maintain the quality of low‐acid foods during long‐term storage. In this study, we explored changes in the morphology of pouch films with two multi‐layer structures. The films are based on barrier layers of metal oxide‐coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) (film A) and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) (film B). A 8‐oz model food in pouches was processed with MATS (F0 = 9.0 min) and stored at 23, 35 and 45 °C for up to 12 months. Findings reveal that the oxygen barrier of film A was influenced by the coating and crystallinity of PET. The oxygen barrier of film B was primarily affected by the moisture content of the EVOH polymer. Results also show that changes in barrier properties depended on storage temperature. Recrystallization in polymer might be an important morphological change that occurs during storages. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45481.

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