BHT and Irganox 1010 moving out of polypropylene packaging
What it found
In lab tests, BHT and Irganox 1010 moved out of polypropylene sheets into a food-like liquid, and more came out after harsh processing like autoclave heating.
BHT moved faster than Irganox 1010.
What they found
Fatty liquid pulled more out
More of both antioxidants moved into 95% ethanol, a stand-in for fatty food, than into other simulants. The authors say this is because polypropylene and the antioxidants both repel water.
Autoclave heating raised levels
Autoclave heating led to higher amounts of the antioxidants moving out than the other processing conditions tested.
Freezing also raised levels
Deep freezing at -30 °C also increased the amounts that moved out. The authors link this to polypropylene becoming brittle at freezing temperature.
BHT moved faster
Under every processing condition tested, BHT moved out faster than Irganox 1010. The authors say this is because BHT has a lower molecular weight.
What the authors conclude
“Migration behavior was promoted by severe processing conditions such as autoclave heating, microwave radiation, freezing, and especially autoclave heating treatment led the highest migration among them.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say control of chemical additive migration from polypropylene food packaging is needed for safe food processing.
- They note that migration of these antioxidants into foods is an important issue for industrial production of food packaging materials.
How it was done
Safety concerns have grown as polypropylene is used more in food packaging. Some antioxidants in polypropylene can move into foods and cause unwanted effects in people.
They measured how BHT and Irganox 1010 moved out of polypropylene sheets under US FDA migration test conditions. They tested harsh food processing and storage conditions: autoclave heating at about 121 °C, microwave radiation at 700 W, and deep freezing at -30 °C.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests using food simulants, not real foods or people. They can't show how much BHT or Irganox 1010 would enter a person's body from packaged food.
- The tests used specific conditions and one type of polypropylene sheet. Other packaging, foods or storage times may behave differently.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Republic of Korea
The paper
- Title
- Migration Study of Butylated Hydroxytoluene and Irganox 1010 from Polypropylene Treated with Severe Processing Conditions
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Kang K, Chang Y, Choi JC, Park SJ, Han J (2018). Migration Study of Butylated Hydroxytoluene and Irganox 1010 from Polypropylene Treated with Severe Processing Conditions. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.14104PubMed 29574970DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error