Determination of diffusion and prediction of migration of xylene and 2,4-dichlorophenol through high-density polyethylene.

摘要

A study was performed to predict migration of two possible contaminants, xylene and 2,4 dichlorophenol into food from a package structure incorporating recycled HDPE and a food contact virgin barrier. The virgin barrier is expected to reduce or delay the migration of the contaminants. The prediction of migration was done using two mathematical models, proposed by Begley and Hollifield and by Laoubi and Vergnaud. On the basis of the prediction, the dietary concentrations of the contaminants in the food were also determined. For the prediction of migration, the models require the diffusion coefficients of the compounds through the polymer. These were obtained experimentally using isostatic and quasi isostatic test procedures.; The results of the models were analyzed and the predicted migration from the two models were compared. The results of the predictions of the models indicated that the virgin barrier is not very effective in controlling the migration into the food. However it was also observed that the simplifying assumptions used by these models lead to a probable over-estimation of the migration of the contaminants from the packaging into the food.