Migration Testing Conditions That Do Not Match Your Filling Line
Matching migration simulant and thermal parameters to exact filling line mechanics prevents compliance invalidation during customs and market audit checks.
Specific Migration Threshold
Regulatory Limit
Safety standards for food contact papers establish the maximum amount of a specific chemical that can migrate from packaging into food. This value, known as the specific migration threshold, is defined in milligrams of substance per kilogram of foodstuff. Compliance with this value is required by law to prevent any hazard to human health or unacceptable change in the food composition.
This limit varies depending on the toxicity of the specific substance, such as plasticizers or mineral oils. For highly toxic compounds, the value is set very low to protect the consumer from chronic exposure.
Safety Assessment
Toxicological evaluation determines these exposure limits based on scientific data about substance ingestion. When a compound possesses high hazard potential, the specific migration threshold is set at the limit of analytical detection. Paperboard mills must select raw materials and chemical additives that cannot exceed these levels during typical storage conditions.
This choice involves selecting high-purity virgin pulp or applying effective barrier coatings.
Compliance Verification
Analytical laboratories verify these limits by conducting migration tests using food simulants. If the migration exceeds the specific migration threshold, the packaging cannot be placed on the market. These tests are conducted under conditions that simulate the longest shelf life and the highest temperatures the package will encounter.