ABSTRACT
In Ghana, there has been a steady increase in plastic
products used in the food industry for packaging. This research investigated
the effects of storage temperature, pH and storage time on migration of BPA
from five brands of soft drinks packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
bottles in Ghana. BPA extraction and clean-up was done on a total of 60 samples
of soft drinks using a modified QuEChERS method. Palisade @Risk software was
used to determine the hazard quotient (HQ), of consumption of the soft drinks
to characterize the risk. BPA was detected in all the samples at all three
temperature conditions. BPA concentrations ranged from 0.23 to 0.39 ng/mL, 0.23
to 1.3 ng/mL and 0.23 to 5.17 ng/mL for samples stored at refrigerated, room
and elevated temperature respectively. pH remained relatively constant in the
acidic range of 2.72 to 3.58 over the four-week period. Hazard quotients
(HQ < 1) of BPA at refrigerated and room temperature meant the study
population were at no significant health risk. At elevated temperature, the 95th
percentile value of 1.11 implied that more than 5% of the study population were
at a significant health risk (HQ > 1), and therefore should not be neglected.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Protecting food from tampering or
contamination from physical, chemical and biological sources is the main goal
of food packaging (Prasad and Kochhar, 2014). Glass, metal, paper and
paperboard, and plastics are the traditional materials used by this industry
(Tang et al., 2012). Due to its functional properties, convenience, resistance,
low weight and costs, plastic emerged as the main material used in primary food
packaging in the past decades (Accorsi et al., 2014; Shah et al., 2008).
There are different types of
plastics, each with unique properties and application in the food industry, for
example polycarbonate, high and low density polyethylene, styrene and
polypropylene. These plastics are manufactured from various polymers and
additives are used to improve elasticity, flexibility, color, resistance and
durability.
According to Wagner and Oehlmann
(2009), both plastic and additives can migrate from the packaging to the food
or beverage over time as a result of an increase in temperature or mechanical
stress. The presence of plastic components or additives in food, if not
properly controlled, can affect the organoleptic properties of food and produce
an endocrine disrupting effect if the levels exceed the legislated or
toxicological values.
Many plasticizers and additives are
considered as endocrine disruptors (EDs). Endocrine disruptors act by
interfering with the biosynthesis, secretion, action, or metabolism of naturally occurring
hormones (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al., 2009; Kavlock et al., 1996). Given the
importance of hormones in human physiology, there is concern in the scientific
community over the potential for endocrine disruptors to adversely affect
children‟s health, particularly in reproduction, early and adolescent
development and behaviour (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al., 2009). Some of these
endocrine disruptors are phthalate esters (PAEs), alkylphenols (APs), 2, 2-bis
(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane or Bisphenol A and di (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) (Vom
Saal and Hughes, 2005).
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic
compound, first synthesized by a Russian scientist named A.P. Dianin in 1891
(Rubin, 2011). Among many other uses, BPA is utilized to produce polycarbonate
(PC) plastics, epoxy resin for cans, toys, microwave containers and water
pipes. Heat and contact with either acidic or basic foods, as the process of
sterilization in cans or polycarbonate plastic, increase the hydrolysis of the
ester bond linking BPA molecules in the polycarbonate and epoxy resins and BPA
monomers are released into foods (Vom
Saal and Hughes, 2005).
For more Food Science & Technology Projects Click here
===================================================================Item Type: Ghanaian Topic | Size: 62 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
===================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.