Control of suitability for food contact according to the Ministerial Decree of 21.03.1973 which consists in checking compliance with the overall and specific migration limits and the absence of technological adjuvants.

rubber can be used for the production of various components used in the food industry, such as gloves and gaskets.

Gaskets also play an important role in food machinery and in general applications in contact with food, such as inside bottle caps and, increasingly widely used, of water bottles.

It is necessary to have adequate knowledge of the regulations in force in the country of sale of these products and to comply with the requirements defined by them.
The WORST CASE analytical approach adopted by Food Contact Center provides for the integration of the various regulations in the global context with the choice of the most restrictive legal limits in order to reduce the costs of risk assessment.

Verification of suitability for food contact according to the  Italian Ministerial Decree of 21.03.1973 or according to the relevant European legislation.

The WORST CASE analytical approach adopted by Food Contact Center provides for the integration of the various regulations in the global context with the choice of the most restrictive legal limits in order to reduce the costs of risk assessment.

Control of the presence of MOH (mineral oil hydrocarbons), that is the sum of MOSH and MOAH.

Evaluation of the set-off effect on materials intended to be stacked or stored in the warehouse with the risk of  ink components transfer.

Content and migration test of Bisphenol A from paper to food.

Many companies have received notifications relating to the sampling and analysis of BpA, which provided results greater than the 0.05mg / kg threshold level.

Food Contact Center has validated the bisphenol A migration analysis in pizza by solving many cases of non-compliance.

Risk assessment for paper coupled with plastics is often more complicated.

Consultancy and analytical evaluations on ceramic and porcelain materials and also on glass.

Verification of Pb and Cd transfer: UNI EN 1388-1, ISO 6486, ISO 7086-1, China GB 4806.3-4,, GB 8058, Korean standard 2015, Std Turkey 28269/2012, Mexican NOM 231-SSA1-2002, Mercosur GMC55 / 92, Brazilian Portaria 27/1996, Colombian Resolution 835 (2013), Japan Jetro Not. n. 370/1959 and amendments, Eurasian Customs Union ТR СU 005/2011, Israeli regulation SI 1003, USA ASTM C738-94, AOAC 973.32.

Determination of the Pb and Cd content according to the NIOSH method (NIOSH 9100, Issue 1: 1994), LIP & RIM UNI EN 1388-2 and ASTM C927-80 release.

Cooking resistance in microwave oven (UNI EN 15284)

Resistance to washing with dishwasher (EN 12875-1)

Verification of the type of stainless steels admissible in the production of materials and objects in contact with food according to art. 36 of the Ministerial Decree of 21.03.1973.

Verification of compliance according to Article 37 of the Ministerial Decree 21.03.1973 with global and specific migration tests.

Both organic (eg paper and cardboard) and inorganic (steel alloys and aluminum alloys) materials and objects in contact with food can be coated with a polymer coating. The coating, as it is in direct contact with food, must comply with the relevant food contact regulations.

Starting from 2020, particular attention is given on polymer coatings based on fluorinated compounds. 

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of perfluorinated substances is getting more and more important. Fluorinated perfluoralkyl compounds (PFAS) are organic compounds used in the production of industrial and consumer products resistant to high temperatures, fat and water. PFAS and related substances represent a very large family and to perform a valid untargeted analysis it is necessary to have specific libraries and high definition tools such as LC Q TOF (according to CEN / TS 15968: 2010 standard) capable of performing screening based on the exact mass of the molecules under examination.
Food Contact Center has developed a library of over 6000 molecules using the LC-Q-TOF (high definition spectrometer) technique, including MS-MS spectra of 18 fluorinated molecules (EPA list 537, ADONA, GENX …) for quantitative target analysis.

Materials that are not uniformly regulated, or lacking specific national and / or EU measures, must be subjected to food suitability verification in accordance with art. 3 of the EC Reg. 1935/2004.

According to article 3 of Reg. 1935/2004, materials and objects, including active and intelligent ones, must be produced in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices, so that under normal or foreseeable conditions, they do not transfer components in quantities to food products. such as:
a) constitute a danger to human health,
b) lead to an unacceptable change in the composition of the food, or
c) bring about a deterioration of their organoleptic characteristics.

Some examples of non-regulated materials:

• ferrous alloys (non-stainless steel, cast iron, etc.), titanium, copper and its alloys, other metals and alloys (silver, zinc, etc.), for which an analytical approach is proposed deriving from the evaluation of the CoE guideline “Guide metals an alloy used in food contact materials and articles, first edition 2013 “;
• inks, adhesives and coatings that must refer to the analytical process of EU Regulation 10/2011;
• wood, cork, fabrics, marble etc … which must comply with Article 3 of the EC Reg. 1935/2004

Safety evaluation for String in contact with meat products

The risk assessment also covers surfaces and components of food machinery.

The components of the systems are often heterogeneous, including different materials ranging from polymers (suction cups, gaskets, pipes) to metal alloys.

Unfortunately, sometimes the machines have already been in use for a long time, and we do not have the declarations of conformity of the suppliers; moreover, even on new machinery, the Documentation provided by the manufacturers does not comply with the legislation, as these are new issues and require specialist knowledge.

Our Center is able to support the manufacturer / user of the machinery in the risk assessment and in the development of an analytical plan that takes into account the regulations in force relating to all the materials the machineryt is made of.

Flyer new Machineries

Flyer Machineries in use

NIAS are not intentionally added substances in the production process. Verification of the presence of these substances is important and is regulated by EC Reg. 1935/2004.

This assessment is carried out using HS-GCMS, GC-MS and LC Q TOF techniques, in order to identify volatile, semi-volatile, and non-volatile, polar and non-polar compounds, in line with the analytical and scientific principles of risk assessment. internationally recognized.

Read “Risk assessment”

Any food contact material, in addition to meeting the requirements of the reference standards in terms of safety for the consumer through migration tests in food simulants, must comply with certain criteria for the definition of suitability for use in household appliances considered critical: dishwashers and microwave. The Food Contact Center laboratory is able to carry out performance tests of resistance to washing in the dishwasher and heating in microwaves, both short and prolonged, for objects whose material and intended use require it.

Cooking resistance in microwave oven (UNI EN 15284)

Resistance to washing with dishwasher (EN 12875-1)