Safety of plastic packaging during microwave heating of food

During microwave heating food is often processed inside a polymer package. One point of concern is the possible migration of low molar mass compounds from plastic packaging to food. From the consumer perspective it is important to know that the quality and safety of the food is not compromised during microwave heating. Since it is expected that this type of processing will increase due to the convenience of microwavable foods for consumers, there is a need to study the migration from food packaging to food during microwave heating and also to develop reliable migration testing methods. During the project migration from common micromeal cups and other microwaveable plastic packaging to different food simulants and real foods during microwave heating will be studied. Especially the effect of different food types and correlation between migration to food simulants and real foods will be evaluated. The influence of packaging materials, microwave parameters and different food simulants to the type and amount of migrants will be determined. The obtained results will clarify food/packaging interactions during microwave heating. This knowledge is important for the development of safe packaging materials for microwave heating. It will promote the choice of proper packaging material for each application and help to establish general guidelines for use of plastic materials during microwave cooking. The project information has been extracted from Swecris. Additonal University Project Website: https://www.kth.se/fpt/polymer-technology/research/prof-minna-hakkarai/archived-projects/the-safety-of-plastic-packaging-during-micowave-heating-of-food-1.706330