Biomedical subjects

N de Kruijf

Publications and source records attributed to N de Kruijf.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Quality and safety aspects of reusable plastic food packaging materials: a European study to underpin future legislation.

The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive package of quality assurance criteria for use by industry and regulatory authorities for ensuring the quality and safety-in-use (sensory, microbiological and chemical) of reused plastics for food packaging. The study included thermal degradation effects, flavour carry-over caused by flavour and off-flavour substances, the influence of washing processes on the materials, and the efficiency of washing processes in removing off-flavour substances and surrogate substances representing misuse chemicals as might be put in bottles by consumers. The microbial safety of the refillable plastic articles in relation to commercial washing processes and the industrial procedures applied has also been investigated. Lastly, the suitability of laboratory procedures using strips of bottle material for predicting the sorption and washing properties of refillable plastic bottles has been studied. In general it is concluded that reuse of the articles does not significantly influence any of the properties investigated. Neither the chemical, physical nor surface properties seem to be significantly influenced by repeated washing. It can be concluded, however, that it is very likely that most of the articles investigated will cause flavour carry-over to a new filling if they are contaminated with strongly flavoured products. Finally it can be concluded that the procedures evaluated can serve as a basis for future legislation on refillable articles, but for several procedures (like quick predictive testing with strips) more investigation is required to create a more solid basis.

Equipment Reuse↗

PubMed1995

Contents of methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and benzylparaben in cosmetic products.

The contents of methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and benzylparaben in 215 cosmetic products have been determined to elucidate the concentration and frequency of use of these parabens in cosmetic products, and to monitor whether the products complied with the Danish and EEC regulations. The results showed that 77% of the products investigated contained 0.01%-0.87% parabens. Nearly all (99%) of the leave-on cosmetics and 77% of rinse-off cosmetics were found to contain parabens. A maximum of 0.32% methyl- and propylparaben, 0.19% ethylparaben, and 0.07% butyl- and benzylparaben were present in paraben-positive cosmetics. A preferential use of methyl-/ethyl-/propyl-/butyl-/benzylparaben in various groups of cosmetic products was revealed.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed1983

Selection and application of a new volatile solvent as a fatty food simulant for determining the global migration of constituents of plastics materials.

A study was carried out to establish whether the draft EEC method for determining overall (global) migration of the constituents of plastics-packaging materials into a fatty-food simulant could be applied to samples of commercially available homogeneous plastics materials and whether it would be possible to use extraction with a volatile solvent under appropriate conditions of time and temperature in cases where, for some reason, the fat test cannot be used. The results obtained show that the draft EEC method can be applied without insuperable problems to most commercially available homogeneous plastics-packaging materials. Moreover, taking into account the poor reproducibility and accuracy associated in some cases with global-migration tests in olive oil, the determination of global migration into isooctane (contact time 2 hr at 40 degrees C) seems to be a suitable substitute for determinations using exposure to olive oil for 10 days at 40 degrees C.

Dietary Fats↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Migration testing with olive oil in a microwave oven.

A study was carried out to compare the overall migration from packaging materials into olive oil during heating in a microwave oven, and the overall migration from the same materials into olive oil but applying time and temperature conditions stipulated in the current EC and Dutch legislation on food packaging. Application of additional test conditions (e.g. 30 min and 1 h in combination with test temperatures exceeding 121 degrees C, and a test temperature of 130 degrees C) have demonstrated the need for extension of the test conditions mentioned in existing food packaging regulations to enable realistic migration testing of microwave packaging materials under conventional test conditions. It is concluded that the overall migration into olive oil from packaging materials intended for microwave oven use, including susceptor materials, can be judged on the basis of migration testing using conventional heating. For testing film or susceptor materials in a microwave oven by one-sided contact, a migration cell transparent to microwaves was developed and used up to 200 degrees C. In conventional high-temperature tests applying hot-filling of trays or migration cells, a temperature drop was observed, while handling oil at temperatures of 150 degrees-175 degrees C may be considered perilous. To prevent problems of this kind it is proposed to start migration tests at room temperature and to heat the simulant rapidly to the final test temperature. This procedure is comparable to migration tests carried out with aqueous food simulants at 121 degrees C in an autoclave.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Food Contamination↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Test methods to simulate high-temperature exposure.

A study was carried out to compare the actual overall migration from packaging materials into food simulants during heating in a microwave oven, and the overall migration from these materials into food simulants applying time and temperature conditions stipulated in the current EC and Dutch legislation on food packaging. It was demonstrated that the requirement by some food packaging regulations to conduct migration tests in a conventional oven using test conditions that are more stringent than the conditions occurring in practice results in excessively severe and unreasonable test conditions. On the basis of the results obtained additional test conditions (e.g. 30 min and 1 h in combination with test temperatures exceeding 121 degrees C, and a test temperature of 130 degrees C) are proposed to be inserted in existing food packaging regulations to enable realistic migration testing of microwave packaging materials under conventional test conditions. It is concluded that the overall migration behaviour of packaging materials intended for microwave oven use, including microwave-active (susceptor) materials, can be judged on the basis of migration testing using conventional heating. The suitability of iso-octane as a volatile fatty food simulant for the determination of the overall migration under high-temperature test conditions was also investigated. For most samples investigated a good agreement was observed between the overall migration values obtained with olive oil applying both microwave and conventional heating, and those obtained with iso-octane under conventional conditions.

Aluminum↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PRBs): a health and safety assessment.

As part of a multi-client project, the potential public health risks of the reuse of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) refillable bottles (PRBs) following possible misuse has been investigated. Participants in the project provided data and information from previous studies conducted independently at contract laboratories. These studies were sponsored by the clients in order to provide further research data on PET containers and their safety. In this report, the results of five of these studies along with the results of a recent study carried out at TNO are compiled and reported. PET refillable bottles were exposed to 62 contaminants, including pesticides, that a consumer could potentially store in bottles. After storage with a contaminant under well defined conditions, the bottles were washed, filled with a simulated beverage, and stored for various lengths of time. The beverage and in some cases the bottle wall were then analysed for the presence of the contaminants. Toxicological evaluation of the analytical results from these tests on contaminant residue remigration showed that even under exaggerated exposure conditions, there was no public health concern. Only one compound, parathion, remigrated to a level that required a more in-depth risk evaluation, and under the most conservative assumptions, it too presented no real health hazard. Additionally, current detection systems employed to ensure product quality detect a wide variety of contaminants, including commercial formulations of parathion. Data developed in this paper are consistent with the finding that PRBs can be safely reused. For preventing negative effects on product quality (e.g. taste), however, good manufacturing procedures including visual and electronic inspection systems are required to eliminate abused bottles.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HACCP approach to ensure the safety and quality of food packaging.

EC Directive 93/43/EEC of 14 June 1993 on the hygiene of foodstuffs has been implemented in the Netherlands through the Food and Commodity Act (Warenwet) of 14 December 1995. This Directive requires food companies to identify steps in their activities that are critical to ensuring food safety, and to ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented, maintained and reviewed based on the principles of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. HACCP is a tool used to assess hazards, estimate risks and establish specific control measures that emphasize prevention and control rather than reliance on end-product testing. Increasing public awareness of food safety, together with the introduction of this new legislation, has led producers and retailers of food to demand higher standards from their suppliers. Suppliers of raw materials, ingredients and also food packaging will be expected to bring their standards of hygiene in line with the expectations of the food industry. Food producers will need to obtain the guarantee from their suppliers that the packaging does not negatively influence their products. HACCP is a method that can also be applied to ensure the safety and other quality aspects of all kinds of food packaging materials such as films, foils, trays, cups, boxes and tubs made of paper, cardboard, polymers, metal and other materials (single use or disposable packagings as well as re-usable and recycled packagings). At the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the quality and safety aspects of re-use of food packaging, and refillable bottles in particular, have been the subject of extensive investigations in the project 'Quality monitoring of synthetic refillable bottles'. In this paper the set-up of the project and the Codes of Practice for refillable bottles are described. Moreover, the applicability of HACCP to food packagings and an example of a HACCP study for refillable PET bottles will be discussed.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The suitability of alternative fatty food simulants for overall migration testing under both low- and high-temperature test conditions.

The suitability of various alternative, volatile fatty food simulants for overall migration testing was investigated under both low- and high-temperature test conditions. The overall migration into olive oil from a large number of commercially used food packaging materials applying various low- and high-temperature test conditions (e.g. 2 h at 175 degrees C, 30 min at 130 degrees C, 1 h at 100 degrees C followed by 10 days at 40 degrees C, 10 days at 20 degrees C) was determined. The results were compared with overall migration from these samples into iso-octane, 50% or 95% ethanol and isopropanol under appropriate test conditions. The samples investigated include homogeneous plastic films, laminates, coated board samples, a coated can, and articles. The results of the study indicate that iso-octane, 95% ethanol and isopropanol are suitable alternative fatty food simulants for overall migration testing under various time and temperature conditions.

2-Propanol↗