Safety assessment of polymeric additives for food packaging: Hydrolysis of polymeric plasticizers by digestive fluids

The in vitro hydrolysis of poly(1,2‐propylene adipate) by digestive fluid liquids was studied to assess the safety of polymeric plasticizers that could migrate into food. A high extent of hydrolysis was obtained with freshly prepared intestinal fluid solutions. High performance size exclusion chromatography analysis indicated that the bulk plasticizer completely disappeared and that low molecular weight oligomers were formed within 4 h. Hydrolysis did not result in a significant conversion to the free monomers, like adipic acid, as was shown by gas‐phase chromatography. Measurements by NMR indicated that the cleavage selectively occurred at primary ester linkages. Fractionation of the hydrolysis products on silica gel gave six oligomeric fractions, which were recovered and analyzed. The absolute molecular weight of the plasticizers and the average molecular weight of the hydrolysis products were evaluated using proton NMR. Hydrolysis did not take place (<2%) under simulated gastric and saliva conditions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 956–966, 2002     

Solubility and Emulsifying Properties of Soy Protein Isolates Modified by Pancreatin

Soy protein isolates (SPI) with varying degrees of hydrolysis (DH of 7, 11, 15, 17%) were produced using pancreatin. The surface hydrophobicity indices of pancreatin hydrolyzed SPI (PSPI) (34.5, 34.9, 39. 1, and 40.7 for 7, 11, 15, 17% DH, respectively) were higher than that of SPI (10.5) and control SPI (CSPI) (12.5, 11.9, 12.9, and 12.6 for 10, 60, 120, and 180 min incubation, respectively). The solubilities of PSPI at pH 4.5 were 2.7, 9.1, 11.9, and 18.7%, for 7, 11, 15, and 17% DH, respectively, while the solubilities of SPI and CSPI at the same pH were about 1. 6%. Solubilities of PSPI at pH 7. 0 were > 90% for all DHs tested, while those of SPI and CSPI were 85%. The emulsifying activity index (EAI) of PSPI increased with increasing DH. PSPI with 15% DH had highest EAI (1. 122) which was higher (P < 0. 05) than those of SPI (0.550) and CSPI after 120 min incubation without enzyme (0.568). These results suggest that PSPI could be used as an ingredient for emulsified products and where high solubility at low pH is required.     

Whey Protein Antigenicity Reduction by Fungal Proteinases and a Pepsin/Pancreatin Combination

Whey protein components were hydrolyzed with Corolase 7092? (peptidases from Aspergillus strains), pepsin and Corolase PP? (a mixture of pancreatic enzymes), either individually or in combination, in trials to eliminate protein allergenicity. The hydrolysates were characterized by physico-chemical and by immunological techniques using sera from patients allergic to milk proteins. Enzyme specificity rather than degree of hydrolysis or molecular mass distribution of hydrolysates determined the residual antigenicity of the whey proteins. Ultrafiltration was a prerequisite for obtaining hypoallergenic whey protein hydrolysates.