3 replies to this topic

[ahmedelbady]

Hello Every One 

       Nice Day 

could you help me with microbial limits (CFU/Swab) for low density polyethylene food packaging and reference for these limits 

Edited by ahmedelbady, 20 February 2022 - 06:22 PM.

[Charles.C]

Hello Every One 

       Nice Day 

could you help me with microbial limits (CFU/Swab) for low density polyethylene food packaging and reference for these limits 

Hi ahmed,

 

CFU/swab is an ambiguous unit. I suggest cfu/cm² or perhaps cfu/gram or (see Post 4)

Edited by Charles.C, 22 February 2022 - 02:18 PM.
added

[Foodworker]

Tricky One.

 

I have never found any meaningful regulatory limit for food contact packaging. There are some defined limits for certain food industries in some countries eg, dairies, but they are normally buried in the food legislation not the packaging.

 

Bearing in mind that the LDPE will essentially be sterile when made because of the temperatures involved, any microbiological presence is likely to have come from somewhere in the conversion processes. This is one of the reasons for doing environmental monitoring.

 

The limits that I have applied have been related to the packaging's application and I have used the same values as the food involved, taken from the EU's Microbiolgical Criteria For Foodstuffs. The results were always nowhere near the limits and I gradually reduced the sampling frequency.

 

There is a growing use of some packaging materials to be returned and re-used which worries me. I have seen a lot of reel cores coming back from food packers (including raw meat and poultry) being used again (with other films which could go anywhere) to gain environmental kudos

[Charles.C]

Hello Every One 

       Nice Day 

could you help me with microbial limits (CFU/Swab) for low density polyethylene food packaging and reference for these limits 

Hi ahmed,

 

See the attachments in this Post -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...ing/#entry51214

 

2nd attachment is paper board but may also be of interest. Similarly the attachment in Post 3.

 

Also see (plastic) attachment in Post 4 which is associated with 1st attachment in above link.

 

As you can see, the values are very low as per Foodworker's comment in Post 3.