Type of Polypropylene Material Significantly Influences the Migration of Antioxidants from Polymer Packaging to Food Simulants During Microwave Heating

Three different polypropylene materials, polypropylene homopolymer (PP), propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP-R), and propylene-ethylene copolymer (PP-C) are commonly used in plastic containers designed for microwave heating of food. Migration of antioxidants, Irganox 1010 and Irgafos 168, from PP. PP-R, and PP-C during microwave heating in contact with different food simulants was investigated by utilizing microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The polypropylene material significantly influenced the migration rate, which decreased in the order of increasing degree of crystallinity in the materials. PP homopolymer was the most migration resistant of the studied materials especially in contact with fatty food simulants. The use of isooctane as fatty food simulant resulted in rapid depletion of antioxidants, while migration to another fatty food simulant, 96% ethanol, was much more limited. Migration to aqueous and acidic food simulants was in most cases under the detection limits irrespective of microwaving time and temperature. The diffusion coefficients were similar to what have been found previously under similar conditions but without microwaves. The effect of swelling was shown by the large increase in the calculated diffusion coefficients when isooctane was used as food simulant instead of 96% ethanol. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. I Appl Polym Sci 118: 1084-1093,2010