Analytical Testing Protocols for Food Contact Paperboard Extractives and Migration Metrics
Extractives and migration testing requires matching food simulants, extraction solvents, and analytical thresholds to specific regulatory contact conditions.
Food Simulant D1
Standard Medium
Standardized testing liquids composed of ethanol in aqueous solution mimic the behavior of specific food types during migration testing of packaging substrates. The substance known as food simulant D1 consists of a fifty percent ethanol solution by volume to simulate dairy products and other oil-in-water emulsions. This test liquid is critical for packaging safety evaluations because it replicates the extraction power of fatty foods with a hydrophilic character.
Laboratories expose the packaging material to this liquid under specific time and temperature configurations to measure the rate of chemical migration.
Migration Test
Exposure conditions of temperature and duration determine the rate at which chemical components migrate from the packaging material into the simulant. When executing food simulant D1 tests, the laboratory maintains a temperature that matches the expected storage conditions of the product. The resulting extraction liquids are then analyzed for the presence of plasticizers or residual monomers.
Safety Evaluation
Compliance audits rely on the extraction data to approve a material for direct contact with fatty foods and dairy products. If the measured migration exceeds the limits defined by safety authorities, the formulation of the packaging material must be adjusted. Analytical reports generated through tests using food simulant D1 provide the necessary verification for regulatory submissions.
The final documentation provides evidence of packaging safety for specific food categories.