The experts for food safe packaging

Time and time again we hear reports about incidences in which the ingredients used in packaging materials migrate into the comestible contents.

Frequent causes include printing inks on labels or the use of contaminated waste paper. Among other things, Henkel’s Central Analytics department is involved with the production and quality control of adhesives for food safe packaging. As a scientifically independent and accredited testing agency, it regularly assesses packaging materials submitted for investigation – both by Henkel and by external customers.

As a competence center for analytical chemistry, Henkel Central Analytics is able to look back on more than 100 years of experience in the analysis of products, raw materials and auxiliaries in the consumer goods segment. Deploying a wide spectrum of instrumentation and methodology augmented by the analytical know-how of over 80 experts, it investigates food packaging inter alia, cooperating closely with toxicologists to ensure quality and safety in these essential products. And, as might be expected in the case of Henkel as an adhesives manufacturer, particular attention is paid to the assessment of adhesives for food packaging.

During both transportation and preparation prior to consumption, foods come into contact with a wide range of different packaging materials such as plastics, paper or cardboard. The trend toward ready-made meals and convenience foods in single households is giving rise to more and more challenges for the packaging industry.

This is because preparation in the microwave, in the baking oven or in a cooking pot can cause ingredients to escape from the packaging and migrate into the packed goods. Central Analytics at Henkel applies standardized processes in order to investigate the causes of this migration. In tests, the foods are simulated by suitable substances and brought into contact with the packaging under controlled conditions. After a certain incubation time, the results of these migration tests are assessed using all the appropriate analytical methods, leading to solutions for safer food packaging products.

Central Analytics is divided into three disciplines: Instrumental Analytics is concerned with the identification and measurement of unknown substances, including those encountered in food packaging. Using highly advanced analytical equipment, such components can be identified right down to trace levels. In Product Analytics, complex products are investigated down to the smallest detail in order to enable reconstruction of their composition and allow conclusions to be drawn as to the type and quantity of the ingredients used. And in Surface and Solid Analytics, the focus is on microscopic imaging processes in order to investigate the individual packaging layers. Laboratory Manager Matthias Frischmann explains the various methods in detail, both in a white paper and in a video. Once registered, those interested can view these items for themselves on our website at www.henkel.com/foodsafety.