Assessing Acute Toxicity of Selected Packages Internal Layers Extracts using Microtox^®

Abstract

In the scientific literature related to the widely understood issue of packaging materials designed to have contact with food (food contact materials), there is much information on raw materials used for their production, as well as their physiochemical properties, types and parameters. Unfortunately, not much attention is given to the issues concerning migration of toxic substances from packaging and its actual influence on the health of the final consumer, even though health protection and food safety are the priority tasks. The goal of this study was to estimate the impact of particular foodstuff packaging type, food production and storage conditions on the degree of leaching of potentially toxic compounds to foodstuffs with the use of the acute toxicity test Microtox ® . From all simulants studied, the 3% acetic acid in water proved to cause significant migration of toxic compounds with increase of time and temperature of extraction and justified the hypothesis that food products with low pH values (stored in cans) cause significant damage to cans internal resin filing and is a reason of increased migration rate of package material to foodstuff. Figure 2. Effect plots for water extraction experiments: (a) temperature [°C], (b) contact time [h] and (c) interaction temperature-contact time (points are shifted aside for better perspicuity). 352 N. SZCZEPAŃSKA ET AL.Figure 3. Effect plots for ethanol extraction experiments: (a) temperature [°C], (b) contact time [h] and (c) interaction temperature-contact time (points are shifted aside for better perspicuity).Figure 4. Effect plots for DMSO extraction experiments: (a) temperature [°C], (b) contact time [h] and (c) interaction temperature-contact time (points are shifted aside for better perspicuity). 354 N. SZCZEPAŃSKA ET AL.Figure 5. Effect plots for acetic acid extraction experiments: (a) temperature [°C], (b) contact time [h] and (c) interaction temperature-contact time (points are shifted aside for better perspicuity).