Migration of total UV-absorbing contaminants from Philippine polypropylene microwavable containers: Effects of food simulant, contact time, and temperature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21014/actaimeko.v15i2.2298Keywords:
chemical migration, food contact article, food packaging, microwavable, polypropylene (PP), total UV-absorbing contaminants (TACs)Abstract
This study evaluated the migration of total UV-absorbing contaminants (TACs) from polypropylene (PP) microwavable containers in the Philippines under food-contact conditions relevant to regulatory screening and local use. Previously developed UV-Vis spectrophotometric methods for polyethylene (PE) food packaging were applied to PP matrices using water and 20 % ethanol as simulants for aqueous and alcoholic foods. Migration profiles were then compared with earlier data for fatty and oily foods, while selected PP samples were subjected to varying contact times and temperatures. The results showed that TAC migration from PP microwavable containers remained below the FDA Philippines maximum allowable limits (MALs). Absorbance values were strongly and positively correlated with both contact time and temperature. The findings extend previous screening studies by broadening the range of food simulants and contact conditions evaluated and by providing additional evidence for risk-based assessment of plastic food contact articles in the local setting. Further work should include acidic and dry food simulants, compound-specific identification, longer storage simulations, and direct microwave exposure studies.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Elyson Keith Encarnacion, Sultan Muripaga Javier M. Pukunum, Maria Jelo F. Mantile, Josefino Antonio T. Mendoza, Rizel Marie S.M. Ting, Anne C. Alcantara, Winnie P. Alejandro, Agaseve F. Del Rosario, David J. Alcarde Jr.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Users are free to
- share, i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially;
- adapt, i.e. remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
At the same time, the user must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
Additional information about the license can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Authors are
- able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
