Hot Fill Research Articles

Safety assessment of the process Lietpak, based on the EREMA MPR technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Lietpak (EU register number RECYC319), which uses the EREMA MPR technology. The input material is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, including no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are heated ■■■■■ under vacuum (step 2). Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that this step 2, for which the challenge test was provided, is critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of this step are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure a level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.15 μg/kg food, derived from the exposure scenario for toddlers, when such recycled PET is used at up to 100%. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not considered to be of safety concern when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs, except drinking water, for long-term storage at room temperature or below, with or without hot fill. Articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave or conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.

OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL ACCESS IN THE AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL DAIRY PACKAGING

Subject. Packaging materials made from biodegradable plastics used for packaging dairy products, as well as the technological properties of these materials that allow their use. Purpose. To justification of the feasibility of using biodegradable packaging materials, in particular bioplastics, for packaging milk and dairy products. Methods. During the research, a systematic approach was used to research factual materials, in particular scientific and scientific-practical literature, regulatory legal acts, regulatory documents and the like; abstract-logical approach to the synthesis of research results and the formulation of conclusions. Results. The dairy industry uses biodegradable plastics; bio-based materials derived from renewable resources that can be used for dairy products with a limited shelf life. Biodegradable materials must protect the dairy product from environmental influences and ensure that quality is maintained during transportation and storage. In this sense, mechanical and barrier properties regarding oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, light and odors are important. You should also consider technological aspects of safety (migration, microbial growth), sustainability (heat and chemical resistance), process requirements (weldability and formability), convenience and compliance with marketing principles (communication, printing options). Acceptable mechanical properties are important, which ensure the quality and food safety of the dairy product even during long-term storage and transportation. The mechanical properties of polylactide (PLA) in semi-crystalline form are suitable, the mechanical properties of starch-polycaprolactone (PCL) are somewhat worse. Since hot fill and sterilization can be used for liquid dairy products with a long shelf life, it should be kept in mind that PLA containers are only stable up to a temperature of 55°C, while materials based on starch-PCL mixtures were stable between 60 and 90°C. Good water vapor barrier properties are critical when packaging dairy products such as butter and cheese, where preventing moisture loss and surface drying is key. Dairy products are often sour, salty or high in fat, it is important to evaluate the chemical resistance as acceptable for PLA. Some microorganisms can use bio-based packaging materials as energy sources. PLA biofilms prevent the growth of molds, and packaging materials based on starch-PCL promote the growth of molds that can affect food products – therefore, it is advisable to include antimicrobial compounds in the material. Migration, the transfer of substances from packaging to food products, according to standards should not exceed 10 mg/dm2. The analysis of scientific and technical information proves the possibility and feasibility of using biodegradable materials, in particular bioplastics, as innovative packaging materials for use in the dairy industry. These materials do not differ significantly in mechanical and other technological properties from traditional plastics made from hydrocarbon raw materials. For the practical research was used Soft cheese Kleo (produced in Latvia). It was packaged by the Ceramis®-PLA-SiOx coating film known as the first new biodegradable PLA film with improved barrier properties. However the tests on soft cheese packaging using Ceramis®-PLA-SiOx film gave a negative result, since this packaging material ensured the storage of a perishable product only for 10 days. Therefore, it is expedient to include other PLA films and other polymeric biodegradable materials. Scope of results. The results obtained will be used to improve production technologies for various types of dairy products, improve their food safety and quality, and also to preserve the environment by ensuring the biodegradability of packaging materials.

Safety assessment of the process Acepolymer, based on the Vacurema Prime technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Acepolymer (EU register number RECYC305), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are heated in a batch reactor (Step 2) under vacuum and then treated at higher temperature in a continuous reactor (Step 3) under vacuum before being extruded into pellets. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that Steps 2 and 3 are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of these steps are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs, including drinking water, soft drinks, juices, tea, milk, oil, alcoholic beverages and other food products, for long-term storage at room temperature or below, with or without hot fill. The final articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.

Safety assessment of the process Ambiental de Plasticos Recyclapet, based on the Vacurema Prime technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.

The EFSA Panelon Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Ambiental de Plasticos Recyclapet (EU register number RECYC304), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are heated in a batch reactor (Step 2) under vacuum and then treated at higher temperature in a continuous reactor (Step 3) under vacuum before being extruded into pellets. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panelconcluded that Steps 2 and 3 are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of these steps are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panelconcluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs, including drinking water, soft drinks, juices, tea, milk, oil, alcoholic beverages and other food products, for long-term storage at room temperature or below, with or without hot fill. The final articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.

Safety assessment of the process Shangrao Bisource Technology, based on the Vacurema Prime technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials.

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Shangrao Bisource Technology (EU register number RECYC306), which uses the Vacurema Prime technology. The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes mainly originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, with no more than 5% PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are heated in a batch reactor (Step 2) under vacuum and then treated at higher temperature in a continuous reactor (Step 3) under vacuum before being extruded into pellets. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that Steps 2 and 3 are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control the performance of these steps are temperature, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process is not of safety concern when used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs, including drinking water, soft drinks, juices, tea, milk, oil, alcoholic beverages and other food products, for long-term storage at room temperature or below, with or without hot fill. The final articles made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens and such uses are not covered by this evaluation.

An implementation of lean technology to improve the lead time of syrup batching process and reduce hot fill line downtime

The research would present an effective performance of lean tools implementing in an Lemon Tea processing line of a Drink Industry as a case study. An improved strategy to reduce the lead time of syrup batching process and then reduce downtime on hot fill line would be considered as well as used. The DMAIC (Define - Measure - Analyze - Improve - Control) methodology would be followed. As the results, the lead time of syrup batching process was reduced from around 140 minutes to (after implementation of lean technology) 98 minutes, and downtime on hot fill line was also dropped significantly by approximately 50 percent. Besides, the production flow was optimized by minimizing several non value added activities and time such as waiting time at the bottleneck points, machine breakdown, queuing time, and other unnecessary waiting time. Eventually, this case study would be useful in developing a generic approach to design lean environment in management system of the studied drink industry organization.

PENDUGAAN UMUR SIMPAN PRODUK MINUMAN GINGER LATTE MENGGUNAKAN MODEL ARRHENIUS

Information about a product's shelf life is essential for the food industry to ensure the safety and quality of the product. Process development is needed if the product's shelf life is short-lived. This study aimed to increase the shelf life of ginger latte with sterilization at 121oC temperature using an autoclave for 10, 15, and 20 minutes then being hot filled at 90oC. Product sterilized in aluminum foil pouch then transferred to PET plastic bottles with hot fill method. Beforehand, the product characteristics were tested on the organoleptic test, pH, and total dissolved solids before being treated with sterilization and hot fill. The Arrhenius method was used to calculate product shelf life with sensory, pH, and total dissolved solids as parameters. The product shelf life before sterilization and hot filling were 18 days in storage at 10oC. Based on the calculation using the ASLT method Arrhenius model, the product shelf life was 35 days with sterilization at 121oC in 25oC storage temperature. The pH and total dissolved solids on day 28 after sterilization were recorded at 5.33 and 14.5oBrix for 15 minutes, respectively, and 5.83 and 14.9oBrix for 10 minutes of sterilization, respectively.Keywords: accelerated shelf life study (ASLT), ginger latte, sterilization, shelf life

Elaboration of mixed nectar of mango and passion fruit

Drinks composed of more than one fruit are a trend in the national and international market, presenting advantages such as greater nutritional value and the development of new flavors. So, the objective was to elaborate six formulations of mixed nectar of mango and passion fruit, varying the percentage of each pulp and soluble solids content, as well as evaluating its physicochemical, microbiological, sensorial and stability properties. The nectars were prepared by the hot fill process and packed in 500 ml glass bottles, and then submitted to the analyzes. The nectars presented pH between 2.86±0.05 and 3.33±0.15, soluble solids of 10.00 to 14.83 ºBrix, acidity of 0.59 to 0.78g acid citric/100g nectar, and vitamin C from 15.36 to 33.66 mg/100g. The microbiological analyzes presented values according to the current legislation. The formulations were within the sensory acceptance zone for the tasters, with a balance in the evaluated attributes. F4 (10g of passion fruit and 20g of mango) was chosen among the formulations due to greater acceptance and use of a lower percentage of passion fruit, reducing the cost of the product. In relation to the stability, none of the sensorial attributes presented differences in the interval of 150 days, however, for the physical-chemical attributes, it was observed difference in pH, total acidity, vitamin C and total soluble solids. Therefore, it is necessary to better assess the physical and chemical characteristics, with the intention of increasing the nutritional index of the product.

Pengembangan Produk Minuman dari Daging Buah Manggis (Garcinia mangostana L.) Beku

Mangosteen peel extract is manufactured as nutraceutical with high antioxidant properties. The industry does not process the flesh of the mangosteen fruit yet. The aim of this research was to study the formulation of ready to drink (RTD) mangosteen fruit juice and the stability of its product during storage. The RTD was processed with a hot fill protocol. The organoleptic liking rate of three fruit juice formulas was 5.36 to 5.74 on a scale of 7. The selected formula consisted of fruit pulp and water in the ratio of 1:2.33 or 300:700 g, sugar 70 g, dark red synthetic colorant 0.0680 g, artificial mangosteen flavoring 2.0 g, CMC 0.25 g, ascorbic acid 0.25 g, and sodium benzoate 0.10 gin the total weight of the mangosteen fruit juice of 1 000 g. The physicochemical characteristics (pH, viscosity and total soluble solid) of mangosteen fruit juice decreased during storage. The microbiological characteristic of raw mangosteen pulp and its RTD complied with BSN standard (2014) for fruit juice products.

Thermal Analysis of Hot Mix Asphalt Pothole Repair by Finite-Element Method

Traditional repair methods tend to suffer from inadequate net interface heating because the combined effect of placing hot fill mix in a cold, old pavement leads to inadequate net temperature levels. The outcome of this is low durability and limited life. In contrast, the outcome of placing hot mix in a controlled, preheated host pavement is substantial increased working life. To understand repair heating, this study ran heat transfer finite-element models for the cases of (1) hot mix asphalt (HMA) placed in an ambient temperature pothole, (2) the heated pothole recess, and (3) HMA placed in the preheated pothole recess. The air–pavement–heater system model comprises a host pavement with two pothole repairs or, in the case of the second thermal model, with one empty pothole excavation, and an infrared heating element plate. For calibration purposes, experimental work of simulated repairs undertaken in previous research was used. The air–pavement–heater system setup followed an optimum pothole preheating method also determined in previous research. Thermal models were validated with previous experimental work. It was concluded that the models generate reasonable transient temperature profiles within the dynamically heated pothole excavation, at the interface of the repairs, and inside the host pavement.

A literature survey of the influence of preform reheating and stretch blow molding with hot mold process parameters on the properties of PET containers. Part I

The paper presents a wide analysis of the literature on the modified blow molding process with simultaneous stretching of PET [poly(ethylene terephthalate)] material for storing hot filled drinks. The paper is a continuation of the first part presented earlier [1]. In this part it is presented in detail the impact of stretch blow molding with hot mold process parameters on thermal resistance of PET containers. An analysis of the literature shows that the relaxation of the amorphous phase has the greatest impact on the thermal stability and pressure resistance of the bottle. At the same time, the thermal stability of the bottle increases, and the pressure strength decreases when the relaxation of the amorphous phase is increased, and the crystallites increase to the largest size possible without causing thermal whitening of the material. The measure of relaxation of the amorphous phase is based on the amount of oriented and “rigid” amorphous phase, since the higher the degree of relaxation of the amorphous phase, the smaller the amounts of oriented and rigid amorphous phase. The main parameters of the hot mold SBM process that affect the properties of the hot filling bottle are the intrinsic viscosity of the preform material, the power profile of the heating lamps in the heating oven (there are seven levels of heating lamps), the heating time in the oven and the associated time of temperature-induced crystallization prior to the SBM process, the speed of the stretching rod, the pre-blow delay due to the stretching rod position, the pre-blow pressure, pre-blow duration, air blow pressure, duration of the main blow, temperature profile of the heated blow mold (there are two heat zones for the blow mold, the lateral surface of the bottles and base zone), duration of annealing in the mold, cooling air temperature of a bottle in a blow mold fed by a stretching rod, and the pressure in the feed branch for air cooling of a bottle in a blow mold fed by a stretching rod. Thus, the properties of a bottle or hot fill can be influenced by as many as 20 factors during the SBM process with a hot mold.

Contribution of cutlery and serving dishes to the human daily intake of silver An in vitro assessment.

Silver cutlery and serving dishes are a potential source of exposure of humans that was never quantified. Release of silver was assessed in vitro in an acidic solution mimicking food fluid in two conditions: i] the JRC guidelines for hot fill conditions with stable high temperature over a 2 hour-period of time, and ii] a more realistic condition with spontaneous progressive decline from 90̊C to ambient temperature over the same period of time. Massive silver 95% strips were exposed to a 5% citric acid solution: i) cooling down from 90̊C to ambient or ii) 70̊C maintained, during 2 hours. Spectrometry with optical emission was used to measure silver in solution. In the spontaneous cooling down study, the time-course of temperature was close to the Newton's law of cooling and the released quantities were detected but too low to be measured. The 70̊C exposition resulted in a non-linear release that became quantifiable after one hour of heating up to an apparent plateau at 120 min with a mean concentration [extreme] of 24.6 [22.3-26.8] μg/L. The results of the present study allow concluding that 95% silver used for cutlery and serving dishes may be released in foods. However, the extent of release depends on the condition of use. At a stable 70̊C temperature over a 2 h-period of time, silver is released in a non-linear model up to a mean concentration of 24.6μg/L. In contrast, in conditions fitting with the routine recommendations of use, infinitesimal detectable amounts of silver were released.

Heat resistance of biobased materials, evaluation and effect of processing techniques and additives

The paper describes the effect of different manipulations (addition of fiber, nanoclay, nucleating agents and chain extender, blending, annealing, use of a higher mold temperature and stereocomplexation) on the heat resistance of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). Therefore, the differential scanning calorimetry profiles, the vicat softening temperatures and the degradation temperatures were measured and compared to standard PLA, PHB, and polypropylene (PP) as reference materials. Furthermore, a comparison between VST and HDT as parameters for heat resistance was made by examining the deformation during contact with hot water. Stereocomplexation and the use of a higher mold temperature seemed the best techniques to obtain PLA‐based materials with good heat resistance, while other manipulations had little to no effect on the processed biopolymer. The addition of chain extender to PLA and PHB had no effect on processed polymers, but it did improve the thermal degradation of PLA during processing. Furthermore, hot fill tests showed that higher VST values were more reliable as a heat resistant parameter than HDT values for these kinds of application. The VST values of PHB were similar to PP, suggesting that PHB also provides opportunities as a packaging material for food products that undergo a heat treatment. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:513–520, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

Fate of Pathogenic Bacteria Associated with Production of Pickled Sausage by Using a Cold Fill Process

Preservation by pickling has been used for many years to extend the shelf life of various types of food products. By storing meat products in a brine solution containing an organic acid, salt, spices, as well as other preservatives, the pH of the product is reduced, thus increasing the safety and shelf life of the product. Pickling may involve the use of heated brines to further add to the safety of the food product. When precooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) sausages are pickled with a heated brine solution, the process is referred to as hot filling. However, hot filling has been shown to affect the clarity of the brine, making the product cloudy and unappealing to consumers. Because of the potential quality defects caused by higher temperatures associated with hot fill pickling, cold fill pickling, which uses room temperature brine, is preferred by some pickled sausage manufacturers. Because little information exists on the safety of cold fill, pickled sausages, a challenge study was designed using a brine solution (5% acetic acid and 5% salt at 25°C) to pickle precooked, RTE sausages inoculated with a pathogen cocktail consisting of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Senftenberg, Salmonella Montevideo, Listeria monocytogenes , and Staphylococcus aureus . All pathogens were reduced ~6.80 log CFU/g in 72 h when enumerated on nonselective media. On selective media, Salmonella and L. monocytogenes decreased 6.33 and 6.35 log CFU/g in 12 h, respectively whereas S. aureus was reduced 6.80 log CFU/g in 24 h. Sausages experienced significant (P ≤ 0.05) decreases in pH over the 28 days of storage, whereas no significant differences were observed in water activity (P =0.1291) or salt concentration of the sausages (P =0.1445) or brine (P =0.3180). The results of this experiment demonstrate that cold fill pickling can effectively reduce and inhibit bacterial pathogens.

Formulação, caracterização físico-química, sensorial, microbiológica e vida de prateleira de molho de tomate para pizza

A formulation of tomato sauce-based tomato extract was processed in order to determine the shelf life of products stored at different temperatures. Were processed three pots of the same formulation of the sauce by cooking, the following steps: raw materials, washing of packaging, weighing ingredients, formulation, mixing, heating (up to 85 ° C in the geometric point), filling (hot fill) lock, the cover sterilization, labeling, storage (half of the processing environment at T ° C 26-32 ° C and the other half refrigerated 6-8 ° C) and distribution.Throughout the processing and / or after obtaining the final product, three types of evaluations were performed: physical-chemical determinations (pH, acidity, vitamin C, total soluble solids), microbiological and sensory tests. According to the results, the tomato mixture showed good stability with respect to microbiological, physicochemical sensorial features, can be stored and sold at room temperature, with a shelf life of up to 28 days.

Effect of Fill Temperature on Clostridium botulinum Type A Toxin Activity during the Hot Filling of Juice Bottles

The potential threat of terrorist attacks against the United States food supply using neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum (BoNT) has resulted in the need for studying the effect of various food process operations on the bioavailability of this toxin. The objective of this study was to evaluate C. botulinum type A neurotoxin bioavailability after a simulated hot fill juice bottling operation. C. botulinum type A acid mud toxin (∼10(6) mouse lethal dose [MLD50]/ml) was deposited into juice bottles at an experimentally determined fastest cooling spot. Bottles (12 or 20 oz [355 and 592 ml]) were filled with either apple juice or an orange drink, at 80 or 85°C, in either upright or inverted orientations. Toxicity of the juice was evaluated as a function of holding time (1 to 2 min) by the mouse bioassay. The fastest cooling point in the upright orientation was determined to be at a bottle's bottom rim. In the inverted orientation, the fastest cooling point was in the bottle cap region. With respect to these two points, the upright bottle cooled faster than the inverted bottle, which was reflected in a higher inactivation of BoNT in the latter. For the orange drink (pH 2.9) toxicity was reduced by 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml to a nondetectable level after 1 min in all bottle sizes, orientations, and temperatures as measured by the mouse bioassay. This indicates that there was at least a 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml reduction in activity. Inactivation in apple juice (pH 4.0), to the same degree as in the orange drink, was found only for the inverted orientation at 85°C. Complete inactivation in apple juice for all conditions was found at a lower added toxin level of 0.25 × 10(5) MLD50/ml. In general, bottle inversion and filling at 85°C provided complete inactivation of BoNT to the 0.5 × 10(6) MLD50/ml level. All experiments resulted in the inactivation of 2.5 × 10(4) MLD50/ml of BoNT regardless of juice type, fill temperature, or bottle orientation and size.

Assessing the benefits of domestic hot fill washing appliances

Washing machine and dishwasher appliance use accounts for approximately 10% of electricity demand in EU households. The majority of this demand is due to the operation of electric heating elements inside appliances. This paper investigates the potential benefits that can be realised by adding a hot fill connection to washing appliances, with respect to carbon emissions, demand side management and renewable energy integration. Initial laboratory testing of new hot and cold fill appliances has resulted in modifications to optimise hot fill intake, and a novel numerical model presents a method of characterising appliance electricity use in different configurations. In order to validate model findings and test the use of new hot fill appliances in situ, a pilot study has recorded appliances’ resource consumption at one-minute resolution in fourteen households. The addition of hot fill reduced the total dishwasher and washing machine electricity consumption by 38% and 67% respectively. Depending on how hot water is supplied to appliances it is estimated that hot fill use results in an annual household carbon saving of up to 147kgCO2. Further to direct electricity reduction, hot fill appliances can offer a method of time shifting demand away from peak periods without inconveniencing occupants’ lifestyles.

Scientific Opinion on the safety assessment of the process SOREPET GR+, based on Erema basic and Buhler technology, used to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety assessment of the recycling process SOREPET GR+ (EU register No RECYC074) which is based on Erema basic and Buhler technologies. The input to the process is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, mainly bottles, containing no more than 5 % PET from non-food consumer applications. In this process, washed and dried PET flakes are crystallised and heated to the decontamination temperature, the flakes are extruded into pellets, the pellets are crystallised and heated and are solid state polymerised in a continuous reactor. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the continuous decontamination (step 2), extrusion (step 3), crystallisation (step 4) and the solid state polymerisation (SSP) (step 5) are the critical steps that determine the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters to control its performance are temperature, pressure and residence time (step 2), temperature (step 3), temperature, pressure, gas flow and residence time (step 4), temperature, pressure, gas flow and residence time, (step 5). Under these conditions, it was demonstrated that the recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. The Panel concluded that recycled PET obtained from the process, intended to be used up to 100 % for manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all type of foodstuffs for long term storage at room temperature, with or without hot fill, is not considered of safety concern.

Pickled Egg Production: Effect of Brine Acetic Acid Concentration and Packing Conditions on Acidification Rate

U.S. federal regulations require that acidified foods must reach a pH of 4.6 or lower within 24 h of packaging or be kept refrigerated until then. Processes and formulations should be designed to satisfy this requirement, unless proper studies demonstrate the safety of other conditions. Our objective was to determine the effect of brine acetic acid concentration and packing conditions on the acidification rate of hard-boiled eggs. Eggs were acidified (60/40 egg-to-brine ratio) at various conditions of brine temperature, heat treatment to filled jars, and postpacking temperature: (i) 25 °C/none/25 °C (cold fill), (ii) 25 °C/none/2 °C (cold fill/refrigerated), (iii) 85 °C/none/25 °C (hot fill), and (iv) 25 °C/100 °C for 16 min/25 °C (water bath). Three brine concentrations were evaluated (7.5, 4.9, and 2.5% acetic acid) and egg pH values (whole, yolk, four points within egg) were measured from 4 to 144 h, with eggs equilibrating at pH 3.8, 4.0, and 4.3, respectively. Experiments were conducted in triplicate, and effects were considered significant when P < 0.05. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect on pH values at the center of the yolk. Regression analysis showed that brine concentration of 2.5% decreased the acidification rate, while packing conditions of the hot fill trial increased it. Inverse prediction was used to determine the time for the center of the yolk and the total yolk to reach a pH value of 4.6. These results demonstrate the importance of conducting acidification studies with proper pH measurements to determine safe conditions to manufacture commercially stable pickled eggs.

Scientific Opinion on the safety assessment of the substance, 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutane‐1, 3‐diol (TMCD), CAS No 3010‐96‐6, for use in food contact materials

This scientific opinion of EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety re-evaluation of 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane with the CAS No 3010-96-6, the Ref. No 25187 and the FCM substance No 881 for use as monomer in the manufacture of polyesters. Final articles are intended to be used in contact with non-fatty foods for long time storage at room temperature or below and hot fill. This application represents an extension for single use excluding fatty foods. Migration of the substance, reaction products related to the manufacturing process and oligomers from two typical polyester samples into 3 % acetic acid and 10 % ethanol was considered. Migration of the substance was found to be up to 2 µg/kg in food simulants. Migration of the reaction products was in the range from 1 to 40 µg/kg. Migration of each oligomer containing the substance moiety is estimated to be approximately 10 µg/kg food. The substance was previously evaluated and considered non-genotoxic. No genotoxicity is anticipated for the reaction products and oligomeric species. Therefore the CEF Panel concluded that for single uses, the substance 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1, 3-diol is not of safety concern for the consumer if the substance is used as co-monomer in the production of polyesters at use levels up to 35 mol % of the diol component, in contact with all food types other than spirits and highly fatty foods simulated by D2, for long time storage at room temperature or below and hot fill.