BASF is offering the packaging industry a variety of barrier solutions that demonstrate high effectiveness in preventing mineral oil residues from migrating from cardboard food packaging into food. This has been confirmed through a series of studies conducted by the official Food Safety Authority of the Canton of Zurich on the BASF products Ultramid, Epotal A 816, Ecovio FS Paper and specially developed dispersions. Four different solutions are available for coating every type of food packaging, including paper, cardboard and film. In 2010, a study by Zurich Food Safety Authority scientists using a dedicated measuring method had detected alarming levels of mineral oil residues from cardboard packaging in food. The same method was used in the testing of the BASF products. Most of the plastic linings in the bag-in-box systems in use today do not provide sufficient protection and pose great health risks. Ultramid, the BASF polyamide, has been used to date for applications including oxygen-barrier, robust multilayer packaging systems to keep meat and cheese fresh. It is suitable for use as a barrier coating both for cardboard packaging and as an inner packaging component in bag-in-box systems. The water-based dispersion Epotal A 816 is also suitable for film coating and hence for use as a barrier layer in bag-in-box systems. Specially developed water-based acrylate dispersions are also available for paper and cardboard coatings. Ecovio FS Paper is a biodegradable plastic suitable for manufacturing coatings both for cardboard and biodegradable film packaging systems. Ecovio FS Paper complies with European standard EN 13432 for compostable packaging, offering an alternative disposal pathway for certified paper and cardboard packaging in addition to recycling. The Swiss scientists identified solvent-based ink components used in offset printing as the main source of mineral oils. BASF already offers the printing industry mineral oil-free water-based binders under the Joncryl brand name which are suitable for flexo printing on packaging, among other applications. The Joncryl brand also includes binders for wet flexo newspaper printing, a technology already used to print mineral oil-free national dailies in the UK and Italy. Joncryl is a high-quality acrylic resin-based combined primer and undercoat formulated for interior and exterior use on new or bare wood, plaster, hardboard, cement and brickwork.
