Exposure Assessment of Sb2O3 in PET Food Contact Materials

This study was conducted to do exposure assessment of the possible migration of antimony trioxide （Sb203） from Polyethylene terephthalate （PET） food contact materials （FCM）. Consumption Factor （CF） and Food-type Distribution Factor （fT） were calculated from survey data with reference to the US FDA method. The most conservative migration conditions were obtained by testing Sb migration from PET FCM based on the Chinese national standard of GB/T 5009.101-2003[1].

New strategy to delay food spoilage:Application of new food contact material with antibacterial function

Frequent food poisoning and food-borne diseases outbreaking in recent years have caused people to attach great attention to food safety,especially the food contact materials that are essential in the food industrial chains and daily lives,ensuring their clean sanitation are of great importance in blocking microbial contamination and spread of food-borne pathogens.Stainless steel(SS)is one of the most accepted and widely used food contact material,and the Cu-bearing SS possesses excellent antibacterial performance and maintains the original mechanical properties of SS,maybe making it a better substitute for the conventional SS in the food area.Taking advantages of bactericidal and antifouling properties of Cubearing SS,this study simulated a variety of food contact scenarios,explored a new strategy for food preservation and food safety by using Cu-bearing SS as a food contact material.The results showed that the Cu-bearing SS could not only delay the spoilage of different foods by inhibiting the activity of microorganisms in foods,but also reduce the expressions of spoilage traits of bacteria as well as the formation of biofilms by quenching the quorum-sensing signals,and further creating a good bacteriostatic atmosphere for the contacted food and its surrounding environment.In addition,the remarkable antifouling property of Cu-bearing SS would give the material a self-cleaning feature for food applications,which can avoid secondary contamination of food as a source of contamination.This study well demonstrates that the Cu-bearing SS has broad application potentials and prospects in the food area.

Association between Phthalate Exposure and the Use of Plastic Containers in Shanghai Adults

Objective Consuming phthalates may be due to the presence of food contact materials, such as plastic containers. In this study, we investigated the association between plastic container use and phthalate exposure in 2,140 Shanghai adults. Methods Participants completed a questionnaire on the frequency of using plastic containers in different scenarios in the previous year （e.g., daily, weekly） and on the consumption of plastic-packaged foods in the previous three days （yes or no）. Urinary phthalate metabolites were used to assess the association between phthalate exposure and the use of plastic containers. Results The metabolites of di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP） were the most frequently detected in urine. The results revealed that phthalate exposure was associated with consumption of plastic-packaged breakfast or processed food items in the previous three days. The consumption of these two food items had strong synergistic effects on increasing urinary concentrations of most phthalate metabolites. Conclusion Our results of plastic-packaged breakfast and processed food may be explained by the use of flexible plastic containers, indicating the importance of risk assessment for the application of flexible plastic containers.