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Microplastic Migration from Food Packaging on Cheese
Summary
Researchers tested whether plastic food packaging used on Cretan Graviera cheese transfers microplastics to the cheese surface over time. They found that both low-density polyethylene and polypropylene packaging released microplastic particles onto the cheese, with longer storage times and higher maturity levels leading to more contamination. This study provides direct evidence that everyday food packaging is a source of microplastic ingestion for consumers.
Cretan Graviera cheese is one of Greece’s most prized cheeses and holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. For years, food packaging migration has been a key concern in food and health sciences, with plastics like low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) widely used for cheese preservation and convenient handling during transport and storage. This study focused on Cretan Graviera cheese, examining two different levels of maturity: 4 and 8 months. The cheese samples were analyzed using two complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques, FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopy, to assess the migration of LDPE and PP from plastic packaging to the cheese’s surface. The experimental period was set at 21 days, corresponding to the degradation time of the selected cheese, which becomes apparent after three weeks under refrigerated conditions at 7 °C. The results indicate that, with Raman and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, LDPE and PP migration can occur from the plastic packaging to the surface of Graviera samples with different maturities. Microbial growth was observed sooner in the 4-month-old samples and 8-month-old samples. The migration of food packaging materials was confirmed using both Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, highlighting that Cretan Graviera cheese should be stored in appropriate packaging under refrigerated conditions at 7 °C.
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