Test procedures for obtaining representative extracts suitable for reliable in vitro toxicity assessment of paper and board intended for food contact

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 262 - 271
• Main Authors: Bradley, E.L., Stammati, A., Salkinoja-Salonen, M., Andersson, M., Bertaud, F., Hoornstra, D., Zucco, F., Weber, A., Turco, L., Traussnig, H., Hakulinen, P., Speck, D.R., Von Wright, A.J., Honkalampi-Hämäläinen, U., Mäki-Paakkanen, J., Severin, I., Lhuguenot, J.-C., Dahlman, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01-02-2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: bioassay; Bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; BIOSAFEPAPER; Ethanol; extraction procedures; Extraction processes; food contact; Food engineering; Food industries; Food Packaging; Food safety; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General aspects; hazard identification; In Vitro Techniques; in vitro testing; migration; paper and board; Toxicity; toxicity assessment; Toxicity Tests; Wood; paper and board; Bioassay; extraction procedures; Toxicity; hazard identification; Migration; in vitro testing; Extract; Identification; In vitro; toxicity assessment; Food contact; BIOSAFEPAPER; Extraction
• ISSN: 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/02652030903232746

This paper describes the use of a suite of extraction procedures applicable to the assessment of the in vitro toxicity of paper/board samples intended for food-contact applications. The sample is extracted with ethanol, water, or exposed to modified polyphenylene oxide (Tenax®) for fatty, non-fatty and dry food applications, respectively. The water extracts are directly suitable for safety assessment using in vitro bioassays. The ethanol extracts of the paper/board and of the exposed Tenax require pre-concentration to give acceptable sensitivity. This is because the in vitro bioassays can tolerate only a small percentage of added organic solvent before the solvent itself inhibits. The extraction procedures have been selected such that they mimic the foreseeable conditions of use with foods and that they are also fully compatible with the battery of in vitro biological assays for the safety assessment of the total migrate. The application of the extraction protocols is illustrated by the results for one of the many paper/board samples provided by the BIOSAFEPAPER project industrial platform members. The assessment indicated that this sample should not be considered as suitable for use with fatty foodstuffs but was suitable for dry and non-fatty foods. Information subsequently received from the manufacturer revealed that this was a non-food-grade product included in the project to test the capabilities of the bioassay procedures. The selection criteria for the test conditions and the suite of methods developed have been prepared in Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) format and is currently being progressed by CEN/TC172 as a European Standard.