Safety evaluation of an ionized multilayer plastic film used for vacuum cooking and meat preservation.

The main concern in safety evaluation of ionized plastic food packaging materials is the possible formation of unsuspected potential migrants. Solvent extracts and migrates of a polypropylene-based multilayer film, beta-irradiated at 80 kGy and widely used for vacuum cooking of packaged meat were studied, using complementary analytical techniques. 1H-NMR and HPLC showed that 96% of the initial phenolic stabilizer was not found after irradiation. A phosphite stabilizer and its reaction products, identified by GC-MS, accounted for 35% of the initial amount. The sum of all potential migrants derived from the additives accounted for less than 1% of global migration. This global migration was mainly due to oligomers. By comparison our results with literature work done with the same film, but at lower doses, it was suggested that larger electron beam doses reduce the possibility of migration and enhance the consumer's safety.