Food contact processing aids

LLDPE by itself does not present any health-related hazard on account of its chemical inertness and low toxicity. Consequently, film, containers, and container Hds made from LLDPE are used on a large scale in food and dmg packaging. Some LLDPE grades produced with unsupported metallocene catalysts have an especially high purity due to high catalyst productivity and a low contamination level of resins with catalyst residue. FDA approved the use of film manufactured from these resins for food contact and for various medical appHcations (80). However, if LLDPE articles contain fillers, processing aids, or colorants, thek health factors must then be judged separately. 

Apart from routine quality control actions, additive analysis is often called upon in relation to testing additive effectiveness as well as in connection with food packaging and medical plastics, where the identities and levels of potentially toxic substances must be accurately known and controlled. Food contact plastics are regulated by maximum concentrations allowable in the plastic, which applies to residual monomers and processing aids as well as additives [64-66]. Analytical measurements provide not only a method of quality control but also a means of establishing the loss of stabilisers as a function of material processing and product ageing. 

EFSA (2005) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC). European Food Safety Authority, http //www.efsa. europa.eu/EFSA/ScientiflcPanels/efsa locale-l 178620753812 AFC.htm... 

Panel on food additives, flavorings, processing aids, and materials in contact with food Panel on animal health and welfare... 

EFSA is the newly established scientific body of the EU that provides objective scientific information and evaluations on all food safety issues, including food additives. EFSA is an independent European agency located in Parma, Italy, which provides risk assessments to the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council and operates various scientific panels including the panel on food additives, flavorings, processing aids, and materials in contact with food. 

Pre-market submissions often concern the use of a food contact article that may be composed of a base polymer used in conjunction with several adjuvants, such as fillers, antioxidants, processing aids, or blended with other polymers. It is important to understand what previous regulatory authorizations can be relied upon, when anew submission is required, and when multiple submissions are necessary. 

This first step is to obtain information about all raw materials and production aids used in the production process of the food contact material. When the product is manufactured on site this is quite simple, but when an end product or a precursor is obtained from another party this can be more difficult. Secondly, detailed information about the raw materials (such as monomers, additives, catalyst, etc., used in the production of the coating, polymer or paper) and other ingredients used to produce the raw materials is required. 

There is a separate Council of Europe Resolution, APRes (2004), on silicone materials for food contact. The resolution defines the silicone product group being comprised of silicone rubbers, silicone liquids, silicone pastes and silicone resins. Blends of silicone rubber with organic polymers are covered by the resolution where the silicone monomer units are the predominant species by weight. Silicones that are used as food additives or processing aids (e.g. as defoamers in the manufacture of substances such as wine) are not covered by this resolution, but polysiloxanes used as emulsifiers are. The resolution gives an overall migration limit of 10 mg/dm of the surface area of the product or material, or 60 mg/kg of food. There are restrictions on the types of monomers that can be used to produce the silicone polymers and there is an inventory list Technical document No. 1 - List of substances used in the manufacture of silicone used for food contact applications . 

Chemical migration and food contact materials 20.9.2 Processing aids... 

A lot of vertical (product-related) and horizontal rules have been published within food legislation since 1962. In 1988 the Commission decided to concentrate on horizontal rules which up to now deal with labelling, materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs, additives, flavourings, processing aids, pesticide residues, and official control of foodstuffs. 

At EU level the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Havourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (now EFSA = European Food Safety Agency) evaluated the safety of ethyl cellulose and placed no limits for a food (contact)use. Other cellulose derivatives are qualified as direct food additives [114] ... 

European Food Safety Authority (2005) Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food on a request from the Commission related to treatment of poultry carcasses with chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate and peroxyacids. EFSAJ., 297,1-27. 

Uses Plastics lubricant and processing aid pigment dispersant internal lubricant for PVC, nylon 6, nylon color cones. for adhesives, floor finishes, personal care, plastics, wax blends gellant for oils in personal care prods., pharmaceuticals film-former oil or fragrance encapsulator nonirritating abrasive emollient heat stabilizer food pkg. adhesives, coatings, paper/paperboard, cellophane, rubber articles, lubricants, textiles food-contact defoamer... 

Uses Antistatic finish for polyester fibers flocculant, coagulant for industrial process water treatment flocculant for min. recovery, ion exchange resins, adhesives, acid dye receptivity, electrostatic coatings on wood retention aid for paper food-contact paper/paperboard Reguiatory FDA 21CFR 176,170... 

Chem. Descrip. Wh. mineral oil NF CAS 8020-83-5 EINECS/ELINCS 232-384-2 Uses Lubricant, gloss aid, carrier, processing aid in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics sunscreen active food-contact applies. protective coating on foods... 

CAS 128-37-0 EiNECS/ELiNCS 204-8814 Uses Antioxidant, stabiiizer, processing aid for rubber, eiastomers, poiy-meric materiais (poiyoietins, poiyurethane, poiyester, poiyvinyis), pkg. materiais, waxes, insecticides, syn. iubricants, paints, foods/feeds, phar-maceuticais, cosmetics, approved for food and feed prods., pkg., food-contact appiics. 

Chem. Descrip. Crosslinked acrylic add polymer with processing aid Uses Thickener, emulsion stabilizer tor cosmetics, topical pharmaceuticals light gellant for water or hydroalcoholic systems food pkg. adhesives, coatings, paper/paperboard, polymers defoamer in food-contact coatings... 

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