Paperboard Food Contact Declarations and Recycled Fiber Traceability
Food contact safety for recycled board requires functional barrier proof and complete chain of custody documentation down to invoice line items.
Phthalates Extraction
Analytical Procedure
An analytical procedure for removing plasticizing chemicals from a solid sample using organic solvents enables the quantification of restricted substances. Phthalates extraction is a mandatory step in food safety testing because these compounds can migrate from ink or adhesives into the packaged contents. High-performance liquid chromatography or gas chromatography typically follows this process to identify and measure the specific molecules present.
Extraction Mechanism
Soxhlet extraction or microwave-assisted methods provide the thermal energy and solvent contact time needed to pull the additives out of the polymer or fibre matrix. During phthalates extraction, the choice of solvent, such as hexane or ethyl acetate, determines the efficiency of the recovery. The sample must be finely ground or shredded to increase the surface area available for the solvent to penetrate.
Contamination from laboratory equipment must be strictly controlled to avoid false positive results.
Regulatory Scope
Maximum limits for these substances are established by international food contact regulations to prevent endocrine disruption in consumers. Successful phthalates extraction confirms that a material complies with the specific migration limits defined for fatty or aqueous foods. Different packaging layers may require different solvents depending on whether the target is a plastic film or a recycled paperboard.