Investigation on the Safety of Biodegradable Synthetic Resins for Food

Yun, H.J.; Jeon, J.S.; Kim, Y.S.; Park, S.H.; Song, S.H.; Ku, E.J.; Chae, S.Y.; Lee, M.J.

Investigation on the Safety of Biodegradable Synthetic Resins for Food

2024

In this study, we investigated the migration level of items specified in the Korean Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Notification) for 50 utensils and hygiene products made of biodegradable resins. Our results revealed that one Polylactide (PLA) baby tableware contained 20 mg/L in consumption of potassium permanganate, exceeding the standard of 10 mg/L or less. In all other samples, formaldehyde, lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) levels could be considered very safe and remained below the standard. Moreover, we tested the PLA baby tablewares (n = 21) for migration into a food simulant (4% v/v acetic acid) upon repeated elution at 100oC for 30 min or UV irradiation for 2h. We detected increased formaldehyde and As amounts at the repeated 100℃ treatment for 30 min compared to those upon repeated UV irradiation. However, the migration level was markedly low under both conditions. Furthermore, the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) calculated on an infant-to-child basis from the formaldehyde and As migration at 100℃ for 30 min in the PLA sample was at the maximum value, i.e., 6.0×10⁻⁴ mg/kg b.w./day and 1.3×10⁻¹ µg/kg b.w./day, corresponding to 0.40% and 10.42% of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI, 0.15 mg/kg b.w./day) and Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI, 9.0 µg/kg b.w./week), respectively. Therefore, in this study, we confirmed that biodegradable synthetic resins are safe to use for food.

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