Mineral Oil Findings in Recycled Fibre Food Packaging
Recycled paperboard packaging requires verified functional barriers and HPLC-GC-FID test dossiers to prevent gas-phase MOSH and MOAH food contamination.
Simulant E Tenax
Dry Adsorbent
Migration testing for paper and board often uses a synthetic polymer to mimic the behavior of dry or fatty foods. Simulant e tenax consists of a modified polyphenylene oxide that has a high surface area and a strong affinity for organic contaminants. It is placed in direct contact with the packaging material at a specific temperature for a set period.
This material is the standard substitute for real food in the laboratory because it is clean and produces very repeatable results.
Extraction Procedure
Hydrocarbons that have moved from the board into the polymer are recovered using an organic solvent after the exposure time is complete. The simulant e tenax is washed with hexane to leach out the mineral oils, which are then concentrated and analyzed using gas chromatography. This process allows the laboratory to measure exactly how much of a substance would migrate into a food product during its shelf life.
Food Safety
Validation of a functional barrier is the most common use for this testing medium. If a packaging material shows zero migration into the simulant e tenax, it is considered safe for use with dry foods. This evidence is a required part of the technical file that every food packaging manufacturer must maintain to prove their compliance with European safety laws.