Food packaging- the role of

additives
A wide range of additives is available for enhancing the performance and appearance of food packaging, as well as
improving the processing of the compound. Legislation governing products coming into contact with food and drink is
continually under review throughout the world.John Murphy
takes a look at plastics additives in food packaging.

The requirements of packaging for foodstuffs (including drinks) apply across all
the materials used in the compound, especially stabilizers, pigments, processing aids
and lubricants. While it is necessary to
ensure that all the ingredients in the compound are completely safe for use in contact with food, this may distract attention
from their possible influence on the
processability of the compound.
Especially in the food packaging sector,
plastics compounds for film, sheet/thermoforming and injection moulding are
expected today to run at ever-higher
speeds, with no sticking or faults.
Processing aids and antistats are therefore
much to the fore also - and their behaviour in contact with foodstuffs is critical.
The ingredients used in products coming
into contact with food and drink have
been regulated for many years but, with
new materials (particularly additives) constantly being introduced, and also with a
growing understanding of what actually
constitutes a hazard, the legislation is
under continuous revision.
Toxicity is probably the longest and bestresearched sector of plastics additives,
with extensive documentation on both
sides of the Atlantic. For as long as
research has been carried out, there has
been an argument as to which is better
to legislate: the inherent content of a
compound, or the extractability of
potentially hazardous substances.
Legislators have tended towards controlling the inherent content of a compound
(though, by the same token, glass should
be excluded as a packaging material,
since it contains lead). But the point is

that the lead cannot be extracted, and

the point is now being accepted when
drawing up new legislation.
For many years the effective international
control has been the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and most plastics
and additives are tested to these standards.
In Europe, there is extensive national legislation and one of the most influential

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18

bodies has been the German Federal

Health Ministry (Bundesgesundheitsamt BGA) which is frequently cited in material specifications.
The European Union legislation goes
back to the 1990 Directive 90/128/EEC,
which was originally a positive list of
authorized monomers. The Commission
is now publishing its first list of additives

that will require testing for migration in

food-contact applications in a new
Directive. The listed additives will need to
be tested to show that the plastics compounds in which they are used comply
with EC legislation for materials in contact with food, and the process of listing
restricted additives will be continued by
means of amendments to the 1990
Directive.
An important and positive aspect of the
programme will be the use of amendments to introduce new concepts which
should make future testing more effective, such as food consumption factors,
and migration modelling and functional
barriers.
It is almost impossible to present an
exhaustive list of additives that have been
accepted by the various authorities for use
in contact with food. The following are
guidelines:

Stabilizerslantioxidants
Phosphite/phosphonites are generally
regarded as the most effective stabilizers
during processing, protecting both the
polymer and the primary antioxidant.
Hydrolytically stable phosphites are the
most frequently-used processing stabilizer
in high-performance additive systems.
For applications in contact with food,
FDA and BGA regulations recommend
liquid antioxidants based on Vitamin E.
These have been developed as patented
systems and also open up new areas of
application, in polyolefins and
polyurethane foam systems.
Development in recent years has centered on technical improvement of the
product, and easier handling and dispersion. The main technical objectives have
been a more durable effect at lower
dosage levels, with good retention of
colour and transparency when required.
Improvement of toxicological properties,
for food-contact and medical applications has also been a continuing aim of
developers. For improved handling, pelletized and liquid systems have been
introduced, and there is a general trend
towards greater use of masterbatch. The
most expensive stabilizers are organotin
stabilizers. Lead compounds are the
cheapest.

Among recent developments are systems

with better colour fidelity and handling
properties. Typical is Dover's Doverphos
HiPure 4 - a high-purity tris-nonylphenyl
phosphite (TNPP) processing and heat
stabilizer, which is claimed to reduce overall costs. With 0.1% residual nonyl phenol, it is FDA-approved for food-contact
applications and is also used in medicals,
colour-critical polyolefins and styrenic
block copolymers. It is effective also in
acrylics, elastomers, nylon, polycarbonate,
polyurethanes, polystyrene, PVC, ABS
and PET.
A solid phosphite antioxidant has been
developed introduced by GE Specialty
Chemicals, in its Ultranox range.
Designed to meet the demand for a high
activity stabilizer with superior hydrocarbon stability and improved handling characteristics, it is based on butyl ethyl
propane diol chemistry, rather than the
usual pentaerythritol. It has been granted
FDA approval for food contact in certain
applications and is expected to find applications in polyolefins, styrenics, PVC,
engineering thermoplastics, elastomers
and adhesives.

Plasticizers
Polymeric plasticizers (usually polyesters,
based on adipic acid) extend the life of
PVC end-products considerably. They
slow down migration, extraction and

volatility. Molecular weight has a significant influence on performance but other

factors also determine characteristics and
performance. Typical applications include
coated fabrics, protective clothing, electrical tapes, conveyor belting, food wrapping, laminated films, adhesive-coated
films, heat-resistant cables, oil-resistant
cables, oil and petrol hose, refrigerator
gaskets and roofing membranes.
Esters of fatty acids and monocarboxylic
acids - can be used as viscosity depressants for PVC pastes and also as secondary plasticizers for plasticized PVC compounds. They are in liquid form. Advice
should be sought on food-contact
approval. Stearic acid esters are used as
plasticizers and processing agents for various plastics and also as lubricants for
polystyrene. They are semi-solid and have
general food-contact approval.
Sebacates and adipates - these provide
good low temperature plasticizers for
PVC, in liquid form, with fairly general
food-contact approval. Di-butyl sebacate
is a highly efficient primary plasticizer for
low temperature applications, used in
films and containers for packaging.
Epoxidized grades (soya bean oil, linseed
oil) - used asstabilizing plasticizers with
properties of migration resistance, in PVC
compounds, alkyd resins and chlorinated
paraffins, and as pigment dispersing
agents in plasticized PVC. Alkyl epoxy
stearate plasticizers are used as low viscosi-

Plastics Additives & Compounding February 2000

19

Additives

i.T stabilisers, especially in PVC pastes,

with some grades providing good low
temperature properties. They are in liquid
form. Soya bean versions have widespread
approval for food contact. Advice should
be sought for other types.

Colourants
Colourants are necessary materials in
most forms of packaging, and they are
critical to extraction and toxicity.
Fortunately, this has been known right
from the beginning, and there are pigments with satisfactory performance
that are accepted for food-contact
applications.
Dyes are transparent and give bright
colours in light. Most have relatively poor
light-fastness and limited heat stability,
but will tend to retain their colour better
than pigment systems. This is because,
with all colourants, it is the surface layer
that is affected by exterior conditions such
as light and, while dyes will similarly suffer fading on the surface, their transparency gives a real depth ofcolour unaffected

by surface influences. Dyes can also be

subject to migration ofcolour, which is
the subject of legislation for critical products, such as food-contact applications
and toys.
Thermochromic and photochromic pigments are micro-encapsulated liquid crystal systems, giving precise colour-changes
at specific temperatures, or when exposed
to light. They are particularly interesting
for food/pharmaceutical packaging, giving
an indicator of storage or cooking state.
Thermochromic pigments change colour
with temperature, and there are compounds and masterbatches for injection,
blow moulding or extrusion. The pigments comply with FDA food contact
regulations and can be used for novelty
products and for products requiring warning indicators, such as baby bottles, thermometers and kettles. Possible colour
changes are: green to yellow, magenta to
blue and coloured to colourless. Typical
ranges include Hanna/Victor's
Chameleon organic pigment concentrate
for polyolefins and styrenics, with colour
changes activated in 10C bands, from

PlasticsAdditives & Compounding February 2000

20

-25 to +58C, and a range from Sibner

Hegner, which changes from coloured to
colourless at 5-15C or 65-75C.
'Intelligent' heat protection for food
products is offered by a pigment system
developed by Sachtleben Chemie,
Germany. It can be incorporated in plastic films and food packaging, to control
the temperature in heat-sensitive products. Visible light is kept away and heat
may escape unhampered from the package. The product is said to be of interest
for projects sponsored by the World
Health Organization, aimed at prolonging the preservation of foodstuffs in
developing countries, and for disaster
relief operations.
High colour strength: Recent development of pigments with very high colour
strength, for use to give opacity in thinwall packaging, have taken place with
the needs of food packaging in mind.
For example, BASF's range of azoic yellows (Paliotol) allows bright tints to be
produced, resistant to heat and light and
suitable for food contact. The families of
Paliotol yellows based on isoindoline,
and reds based on perylene, can be used
in polyolefins and also in the more technical plastics. A new mixed-phase rutile
yellow pigment (introduced by Bayer:
Lightfast Yellow 62R) differs from conventional chrome rutile yellows by higher tinting strength, better hiding power
and gloss promotion, suitable for lightfast, water-stable and heat-stable pigmentation of plastics and coatings and
satisfying purity requirements for foodcontact applications.
A novel blue-shade red azo pigment,
Engeltone 1115 (Engelhard) is an alternative to high performance organics, complying with FDA limits for food contact
and comparable in heat stability with
many high performance bright reds, such
as DPPs (up to 300C in ABS) - which it
could replace, with up to 50% savings.

Processing aids, lubricants

and antistats
Milliken's nucleating technology for PP,
Millad, is approved for PP compounds
for food contact by the US FDA, the
Canadian HPB (Health Protection

Additives

indicating storage or cooking state,

....

.....

'Intelligent' pigment systems

Developed by Sachdeben Chemle; can be incorporated in food packaging to control ~ e

temperature of heat-sensitive products: under study byWorld Health Organization.

Pigment dispersants

Low molecular weight ionomers promote good pigment dispersion and come within the
regulations of many countries for colour concentrates in food contact.

Processing aids:
Fluoropolymers

Most fluoropolymer processing aids comply with indirect food contact regulations and
can be used in PP and PE.

Nucleating agents

Milliken's Millad is widely approved for PP compounds for food contact applications.

Plastics Additives & Compounding February 2000

21

Additives
Among other additives, Colloids has a
range of masterbatches for high slip, antiblock and high clarity that are suitable for
food contact. GE Silicones' Tospearl fine
particle silicone anti-blocking additive,
improving film clarity and abrasion resistance is also approved for food contact.
Sodium sulphonate (Chemstat PS- 101,
from Chemax Inc) is recommended for
use in polystyrene, where US FDA
approval is required. It is used as a 50%
active masterbatch or a 30% blend of
sodium alkyl sulphonate and glycol
monostearate in LDPE carrier.
Pure Eze (from Slide Products) is a white
oil-based release agent that is suitable for
food applications.

Information sources

board) and the German BGA

(Bundesgesundheitsamt).
Most fluoropolymer processing aids,
which are used in film processing to
reduce die build-up and improve output
of film, will comply with regulations for
indirect food contact and food regulations
for PP and PE.
Dynamar PPA from Dyneon is a processing additive for blown film that improves
thermoplastic processing without altering
the existing physical properties. The c o r n -

pany says that it can reduce significantly

die build-up and has good thermal stability in high temperature processing.
Apparent melt viscosity is lowered allowing fabricators to use high viscosity, high
molecular weight in cast and blown films
and blow moulding applications.
Low molecular weight ionomers that are
used to promote good pigment dispersion
come within the regulations of many
countries for colour concentrates in food
contact applications.

PlasticsAdditives & Compounding February2000

22

There is a wealth of information, from

national plastics federations and from the
EU, and a valuable source of information
on this subject is the UK packaging and
printing research association Pira.
A comprehensive database on all forms
of chemical legislation in 25 countries
has been published as a CD-ROM by the
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UN/ECE). It covers 15 sectors of the industry, including materials
in contact with foodstuffs, and transport
and labelling of dangerous chemicals.
Over 600 text summaries are given, with
full references to the original legislative
acts. The acts themselves are also
'chained' so that amendments can be
found with the act itself. The database
can be searched by country, keyword,
and reference to act or date, with summaries and titles in the original language,
as well as in English.
Including Directives of the European
Community, the database is intended to
provide useful information and guidelines
for countries worldwide that still have little or no legislation controlling chemicals.
It also provides manufacturers, traders,
legislators and lawyers with instant access
to information that is normally difficult
to obtain.
The CD-ROM costs US$250, and can be
ordered through the usual UN publications sales agencies, or direct from the
UN sales offices in the USA (New York)
or Europe (Geneva).