Since the invention of the instant noodle, it has become a popular food all over the world. People love to enjoy the convenience, speed and low price of instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In recent years, instant noodles have seen a rapid rise in popularity across the globe, from Asia to Africa and to Europe. There are a number of factors that have contributed to this increase in demand.
First of all, the rise of a larger population of working people has led to an increased demand for fast and convenient food. Instant noodles can be cooked in minutes and therefore provide an easy solution when time is limited. Additionally, the increasing popularity of e-commerce and the wider accessibility to online shopping has made purchasing instant noodles more convenient than ever.
In addition to the increased demand for convenience, the flavor and quality of instant noodles have also improved. Recipes and recipes have been improved to provide better taste and nutrition. As a result, more people are enticed to try instant noodles. Finally, the rising cost of ingredients used to make traditional dishes has driven up the price of food, making instant noodles a much more affordable meal option.
All these factors have contributed to the increased popularity of instant noodles around the world. As a result, companies have responded to the growing demand by offering a wider selection of instant noodle products and flavors. This larger selection allows people to find the menu that best suits their needs and taste. In the end, this will help drive even more demand for instant noodles.
After the International Food Packaging Association recently released the "Disposable Paper Food Service Ware Quality Survey Report," the safety of instant noodle packaging and other double-structured food packaging with paper products has caused great concern among consumers. Is instant noodle packaging safe? Is it possible to use recycled paper for the outer layer? Only the inner layer of food-grade paper can ensure the safety of food? All this also starts from the structure of instant noodle packaging, let us layer by layer to uncover the secrets of instant noodle packaging. The main structure of instant noodle packaging is generally 6 layers, from inside to outside in the following order:
Instant noodle bowl layered structure
A, the inner layer of plastic film, generally polyethylene (PE) material
The innermost plastic film of the instant noodle bowl
The innermost layer of the instant noodle bowl (i.e. the inner wall of the paper barrel in direct contact with the food) is a layer of plastic film covered with cardboard, generally made of food-grade polyethylene (PE), which should comply with the national standard GB 9687-1988 "Health Standards for Polyethylene Molded Products for Food Packaging". The low molecular substances and additives inside the plastic may dissolve in grease, water or vinegar. Consumers generally eat instant noodles with boiling water, the innermost PE film of the noodle barrel will likely dissolve in the noodle soup containing a large amount of grease when it meets the high temperature of 100℃.
Second, food-grade white paper board
Instant noodle bowl inner layer of food-grade white paper board
The second layer of food-grade white paper board, that is, the so-called "direct contact with food" of the inner layer of paper, in the survey, all double instant noodle bowl of the inner layer of cardboard fluorescent substances are in line with the original food packaging paper hygiene standards, but only the inner layer meets the requirements of food grade does not ensure the safety of the entire paper barrel, because the paper bowl and each country Different paper bowl standards, which clearly stipulates that "should not use recycled raw materials", and the current enterprises only say that this layer of paper is safe, in line with the standards of the original paper, is one-sided, to generalize. The inspection agency only measured a layer of the whole product qualified or safe conclusion is also unscientific.
Third, the gray cardboard
This layer of gray cardboard that the investigation report tested the outer surface of the instant noodle barrel, the test, the vast majority of instant noodle bowl fluorescent material does not meet the relevant requirements, it is likely to use waste paper or recycled paper. Waste paper contains more than 20 kinds of harmful substances, such as ink, lead, benzene, mercury, plasticizers, bisphenol A, etc., which is difficult to control. These harmful substances accumulate in the human body for a long time and will not be completely discharged from the body over time, and the long-term accumulation of harmful substances such as lead and mercury in the human body can cause various diseases and even cancer. This is due to the fact that the chemicals left in the recycled paper are mainly from printing ink chemicals. In addition, if the recycled paper is in direct contact with water, oily food or food that has been heated at high temperatures, then its own structure will be damaged, resulting in the residual chemicals in the recycled paper into the food. For this layer of cardboard, China's standard system does not have any provisions for its safety and health performance, companies do not have standards, let alone test data, so it is illegal to use them blindly.
Fourth, the outer layer of printing paper
Instant noodle bowl outer printing paper (the upper right part of the picture) in the ultraviolet light shows a bright blue
In the outer layer of gray cardboard, and its adhesion together is the outermost layer of printing paper, the layer of paper by the wavelength of 365nm ultraviolet light exposure, showing a very bright blue, that is, may have added fluorescent whitening agent, or recycling waste paper residues of fluorescent substances. For this layer of cardboard, the national standard does not have its requirements and limitations.
Fifth,. Varnish
Instant noodle bowl printing paper outer layer of varnish to make the entire packaging surface smooth and shiny
The outermost layer of the instant noodle bowl is generally very bright, which is because the enterprise in the printing paper ink surface coated with a layer of varnish. Varnish is a type of coating that does not contain coloring substances. The main components are resin and solvent or resin, oil and solvent. When applied to the surface of an object, it forms a coating film with protection, decoration and special properties. The outermost varnish of an instant noodle bowl is mainly to avoid direct contact between ink and human body. Paper bowls, paper cups in the production and sales process, in order to save space, often a specific number of products stacked on top of each other before packaging, that is to say, the outer layer of the product and the inner layer of another product, in addition to production and use without contact, the vast majority of the time is in contact with each other. The cardboard or finished product will be stacked together and directly contaminate the inside of the other product. However, the use of varnish to isolate the ink is safe? Upon inquiry, China currently does not have the relevant standards for food varnish, for the outermost layer of the instant noodle barrel varnish whether to meet the food-grade requirements, we do not know, the enterprise use whether there is a scientific basis? If not, is it a violation?
Six, instant noodle bowl outer packaging film
The outermost plastic film of the instant noodle bowl
In the outermost layer of the instant noodle bowl, there is generally a layer of plastic film, the product lot number and production date, etc. generally played on the layer of plastic film, which mainly plays a role in protecting the product packaging, whether the layer of plastic film needs to meet the food grade requirements, the national standards have not yet been specified. For paper cups, paper bowls or plastic cups, plastic bowls and other food contact packaging materials, the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in the production license (QS) issued before the audit are strict requirements of all materials and additives, including the outer sleeve must be food-grade. The above is the main layering structure of the instant noodle bowl. Many consumers have the habit of drinking soup when eating noodles, and the outer layer of the noodle bowl is in direct contact with the human hand and mouth, which makes it difficult to ensure that harmful substances will not harm the health of consumers.
Test Equipment and Principles
The test equipment used for the test is the migration tester independently developed and produced by GBPI Co.
Test Principle
Put the solution to be tested into the solvent storage dish of the automatic feeding system, and the empty cup is heated, cooled and weighed at the set temperature. Repeat the steps until a constant weight value is reached. Evaporate to dryness on a water bath below the boiling point of the soaking liquid. The cavity is heated to 105°C, dried and cooled. After the evaporating dish is cooled, the constant weight is judged with a balance (sensitivity is 0.01 mg), and the experiment is terminated to meet the constant weight requirement of the project.
Test conditions and test procedure
(1) Calculate the area of the inner wall and bottom of the instant noodle bucket.
(2) Add hexane to the instant noodle barrel specimen to be tested. The distance between the liquid level of hexane and the upper edge of the sample should not exceed 1 cm, and record the volume of hexane added.
(3) Place the specimen in an environment of 21℃ for 2.5 h for migration test.
(4) After the migration test, 200 mL of the food simulant was taken from the sample and put into a weighed evaporation dish and evaporated on a water bath, while doing the blank test.
(5) Transfer the evaporating dish to the corresponding numbered tray rack of the evaporation residue constant weight meter and close the door of the test chamber. Set the evaporating dish number, drying temperature, drying time and other parameters, click the test option, start drying, and according to the set drying time equipment automatically weighing.
(6) The test is finished, and the device calculates and displays the test results.
Test results and analysis
The total migration of the tested samples was 2.25 mg/dm2.
Total migration is one of the important reference indicators to characterize the safety of food contact materials. In this paper, the total migration of instant noodle bucket samples in n-hexane simulant was tested using GBPI fully automated migration test, which is easy to operate, reduces personnel cost and can accurately test the total migration of samples
