FOOD AND PACKAGING INTERACTIONS - PENETRATION OF FATTY FOOD SIMULANTS INTO RIGID POLY(VINYL CHLORIDE)

Two complementary methods for the determination of the extent of polymeric packaging penetration by food simulants which are in contact with rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) are presented: (i) the depth of penetration of the simulant is measured by optical microscopy of sectioned slices of the material; (ii) methyl red, dissolved in methyl palmitate, was incorporated in the PVC. Subsequent spectrophotometric analysis of the samples from method ii reveals that the penetration of the dye is governed by the penetration of the simulant. Absorbance measurements can thus be used for an indirect evaluation of the penetration of the simulant. Mixtures of olive oil and methyl palmitate have been studied, and general considerations on the use of binary mixtures used as food simulants are discussed.