Paperboard Hydrocarbon Extraction and LC-GC-FID Analysis Protocols
Paperboard LC-GC-FID testing requires ethanol swelling, mCPBA epoxidation, and accurate UCM baseline integration to verify MOSH and MOAH migration compliance.
Tenax Migration
Simulant Testing
High temperature laboratory migration protocols utilize modified polyphenylene oxide powder as a solid food simulant to quantify the transfer of volatile and semi volatile substances from packaging into dry foods. Analytical chemists evaluate tenax migration to measure the release of mineral oil hydrocarbons, photoinitiators, plasticizers and volatile chemical residues from paper and board packaging materials into fatty dry foodstuffs. The synthetic porous polymer exhibits strong adsorption properties that mimic the high affinity of dry food matrices such as infant formula, cereals, flour and cocoa powder for organic contaminants.
Standard exposure testing runs at defined temperatures and contact times to simulate extended ambient storage or accelerated thermal conditions. The procedure measures specific and overall chemical migration into dry simulants and does not test aqueous or alcoholic liquid contact.
Analytical Protocol
Testing begins by placing cut packaging specimens in direct contact with standardized Tenax adsorbent powder inside specialized migration cells. Conducting tenax migration assessments involves incubating the sealed cells in climate chambers at temperatures such as forty degrees Celsius for ten days or sixty degrees Celsius for accelerated testing. Volatile and semi volatile compounds migrate from the paperboard substrate into the adsorbent porous matrix.
After thermal exposure, chemists extract the adsorbed chemicals using organic solvents such as diethyl ether or acetone. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry then quantifies individual migrant concentrations against specific migration limits.
Packaging Safety
Recycled folding boxboards and functional barrier coatings require rigorous testing to prove that contaminants do not contaminate dry grocery contents. Data derived from tenax migration tests confirms whether interior barrier coatings, such as functional water based dispersions or polymer layers, effectively block volatile mineral oil components. Infant nutrition brands demand low migration thresholds to prevent product contamination over multi year shelf lives.
Sourcing teams select tested barrier boards to ensure compliance with strict food contact safety regulations. Laboratory validation delivers empirical assurance for dry food packaging integrity.
What FSC and PEFC Certification Actually Prove about Paper
FSC and PEFC prove auditable timber origin and mass-balance fiber accounting; they do not prove food safety, chemical purity, repulpability, or EUDR compliance.