Investigations and Research

Pira International has a long standing reputation for research and investigatory analytical work. In particular:

• Research into new methods of migration testing.
• Determination of the causes of taints and odour in food packaging.
• Responding to customer needs when food packaging scares appear in the media.
• Determining migration of chemicals from printing inks.

Research and Test Development

Pira International has been involved in developing new test methods for showing food contact compliance since the mid-1980's. Clients have included the EU, UK FSA, various trade associations, consortia of companies with a common interest and single companies. Some of the landmarks along the way have been:

• Involvement in developing the overall migration methods which have subsequently become EN 1186.
• Involvement in developing some of the specific migration methods for monomers which have subsequently become parts of EN 13130.
• Development of faster, more severe overall migration methods for some plastics enabling some clients to use cheaper extraction testing rather than migration testing.
• Provision of significant amount of the data to support the adoption of migration modelling as an alternative to specific migration measurements.
• Provision of a significant amount of the data used to support the adoption of fat reduction factors.
• Provision of data to support the exclusion of tissues from the Council of Europe Resolution on paper and board

In addition to these we are constantly called on to develop new methods for measuring the specific migration of chemicals listed in Directive 2002/72/EC with restrictions because there are no standard methods available for the vast majority of these..

Taint and Odour

The Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 requires that food packaging does not transfer a taste or odour to food. However, if your company finds itself accused of supplying packaging which gives rise to food that is tainted, or has an off-odour, then you need a rapid identification of the chemicals responsible. Pira has experience of this type of analytical detective work stretching back to 1985. Such a long period of developing expertise has also left us well placed to go further than merely identifying the chemicals responsible and actually identify their source enabling you to completely eliminate the problem.

Food Packaging Scares

These continue to appear in the media periodically. Examples include phthalates in infant formula, migration of DIPN from paper and board, migration of ESBO from gaskets into baby food, azodicarbonamide decomposition to carcinogenic semicarbazide, ITX migration from UV-cured inks, antimony migration from PET, 4-methylbenzophenone migration from UV-cured printing inks and the on-going debates around the endocrine disrupting effects of DBP, DIBP, DEHP, ESBO, Bisphenol A and octyl- and nonylphenols. When these break out you need level headed advice on what you should do by way of testing for these substances and what the toxicological implications are if they are present. Pira International can help with these issues.

Migration from Printing Inks

Since the food scare that developed from the discovery of the photo-initiator ITX (2-isopropylthioxanthone) in infant formula there has been a focus on migration of chemicals from printing inks, particularly photo-initiators and their decomposition products. Pira International has developed significant expertise in determination of traces of such chemicals and can help your company show compliance with both the GMP Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006 and the Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. If any such chemicals are found we can give you advice on their toxicological impact enabling you to make rational decisions about product recalls.