Abstract

Harmful chemicals leaching into beverage contained in polystyrene (PS) cup is a concern for consumers, therefore this paper seeks to investigate the pattern of styrene monomers migration with respect to temperature. PS cups containing liquid stimulants (distilled water & cooking oil) were subjected to temperatures of 25–100 °C. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed no hint of styrene in distilled water but detected styrene traces in the cooking oil to be proportional with temperature. The migration rate jumped above 75 °C, suggesting a threshold point for enhanced styrene absorption. This could be attributed to the compromised structural integrity of the cup and greater styrene solubility in the cooking oil above 75 °C. The activation energy required for styrene migration from the PS cup computed through Arrhenius equation was 12.117 kJ/mol. Despite the finding, the highest recorded styrene content which was 1.1158 × 10-4 wt% at 100 °C still fell below the maximum allowable limit of 0.5 wt% set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.