Comparison of methods to simulate permeation through cellulose-based food contact materials

Abstract Paper is used in many different applications, due to its numerous favourable characteristics. An inherent property of paper is its porosity. One of the main effects of this porosity is that it allows the possibility of mass transport through it. In this work, we describe a study that was carried out to simulate the transport of substances relevant for food contact applications through paper using adsorption/desorption experiments and permeation experiments in migration cells. The results of the experiments are discussed, first in terms of the compounds that were transferred through the test paper samples and second in terms of the ability to use these methods to simulate transport processes. The results of the individual experiments were combined and used to explain similarities and differences in the sample behaviour. We show that the methods correlated well with one another and especially the polar compounds interacted strongly with the paper samples.