Jun 8, 2023 - 3-5 minutes
What Influences Migration Levels, How Adhesives Help
Find out about three factors that play a role in migration levels rising, causing potential health risks in food. Learn how adhesives can help you take better control of these factors and keep migration levels low.
As a converter developing flexible packaging components for food applications, it is crucial to make sure you provide options that can reduce the chances of chemical migration into the food to lower potential health risks. Therefore, it’s important to understand what influences migration level, such as the packaged food, time and temperature, and how adhesives can reduce its likelihood.
How Food Influences Chemical Migration
Certain foods tend to increase chemical migration likelihood, especially fatty foods. This is because many chemicals used in food packaging are attracted to fat because they are more soluble in fat than water.
Additionally, foods that contain high humidity can cause blushing in the packaging, which may be due to hydrolysis of the adhesive. This dissolution can make it easier for chemical migration to occur and reach the food.
How Adhesives Address Food-Related Chemical Migration
By considering the type of food that may be causing chemical migration, adhesives can offer:
Additionally, foods that contain high humidity can cause blushing in the packaging, which may be due to hydrolysis of the adhesive. This dissolution can make it easier for chemical migration to occur and reach the food.
How Adhesives Address Food-Related Chemical Migration
By considering the type of food that may be causing chemical migration, adhesives can offer:
- Lower migration: Along with a flexible barrier such as a plastic film, adhesives that are made up of large molecules or highly reactive can reduce chemical migration into food. Large molecules cannot move around as easily as small molecules, making it more difficult to migrate. Additionally, choosing reactive chemicals that can form larger molecules can reduce the risks of dangerous chemical reactions that could contaminate food.
- Anti-blushing capabilities: A solvent-based solution that has robust performance against moisture and meets FDA compliance for reseal contact applications will prevent the adhesive from hydrolysis, resulting in decreased chances of migration occurring.
How Time Influences Chemical Migration
You might not think chemical migration can occur during the converting process since the food has not yet been packaged; however, one step in your production may be posing risks to the food. If the film has printed inks on it that is not fully dried or cured, offset migration may occur on the food contact side of the film that the ink contacts while rolled up. This happens when the ink is not fully dry and can transfer to adjacent surfaces, especially with pressure. This side of the film will eventually come into contact with food and could potentially lead to migration. Stacking cups with printed messaging on the outside can have a similar effect, as well, because the inside of a cup stacked on the bottom contacts the outside of a cup stacked on top that has printed inks.
How Adhesives Address Time-Related Chemical Migration
Water-based adhesive technology offers high-speed coating and low-temperature application to enhance overall production efficiencies while still meeting FDA compliance for produce and room temperature applications. It also has low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with flexibility capabilities to enhance sustainability and prevent food from coming into contact with dangerous contaminants.
How Adhesives Address Time-Related Chemical Migration
Water-based adhesive technology offers high-speed coating and low-temperature application to enhance overall production efficiencies while still meeting FDA compliance for produce and room temperature applications. It also has low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with flexibility capabilities to enhance sustainability and prevent food from coming into contact with dangerous contaminants.
How Temperature Influences Chemical Migration
Chemical migration has a higher likelihood of taking place in food packaging when temperatures rise due to increased diffusion. This is because the high temperature provides molecules more opportunity to move, and therefore more chances to migrate into the food. Higher temperatures can also potentially produce chemical reactions that lead to degradation in packaging materials, allowing chemical migration to occur more easily. While you may be thinking temperature changes only take place once the end-use is using the food, it is important to consider how a production facility or warehouse may change in temperatures as well, which could impact the package components.
How Adhesives Address Temperature-Related Chemical Migration
Whether food packaging experiences temperature changes before or after the food is placed inside, an adhesive with high temperature resistance, such as a solvent-free solution, will be capable of maintaining its bond strength to prevent chemical migration. This option includes 100% solids, eliminating the risk of dangerous compounds contacting the food. Additionally, this adhesive solution provides strong durability and chemical resistance to make it harder for chemicals to migrate.
How Adhesives Address Temperature-Related Chemical Migration
Whether food packaging experiences temperature changes before or after the food is placed inside, an adhesive with high temperature resistance, such as a solvent-free solution, will be capable of maintaining its bond strength to prevent chemical migration. This option includes 100% solids, eliminating the risk of dangerous compounds contacting the food. Additionally, this adhesive solution provides strong durability and chemical resistance to make it harder for chemicals to migrate.
How Bostik Addresses Chemical Migration
Our portfolio of food packaging adhesive solutions provides you with a range of FDA compliant options that address chemical migration while providing high performance for your application needs:
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- Anti-blushing reseal: Our solvent-based adhesive solution is the first in the market to protect the adhesive from dissolving and eliminate moisture buildup for clear, resealable packaging.
- Solventless laminating: Ideal for all flexible packaging applications, these solvent-free solutions eliminate the concern of hazardous compounds potentially migrating to the food. It also offers fast cure to help you continue operating at fast processing speeds.
Do you want more control over food, time, and temperature causing chemical migration in your food packaging? Contact a Bostik expert today to learn how our adhesive solutions can help.
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All information contained herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication, is provided “as-is” and is subject to change without notice. To review our full U.S. Legal Disclaimer, visit: https://bostik.com/us/en_US/privacy-policy/legal-disclaimer
All information contained herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication, is provided “as-is” and is subject to change without notice. To review our full U.S. Legal Disclaimer, visit: https://bostik.com/us/en_US/privacy-policy/legal-disclaimer