Packaged food products have been under severe scrutiny since 2011, this derived from a series of studies that indicated that foods could contain mineral oil hydrocarbons, by cause of the migration of additives used to manufacture the packaging, which includes adhesives (used for packaging, tapes or labels) due to their low molecular weight fractions, where it is considered that the migration with the greatest impact towards food is via the gaseous phase.
This could indicate that consumers are exposed to these substances, they could generate health problems, such as accumulating in the human body especially in the lymph nodes, spleen and liver (MOSH) without adverse consequences; as well as that they can be mutagenic or carcinogenic (MOAH). Although the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has not made a decisive opinion regarding adhesives on this issue, due to it is currently complex and difficult to have analytical methods to simulate migration, there is a guide about their suggested composition (Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 of 14 January 2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food), as well as a series of tests in case it is necessary to certify the adhesive for its intended application.
Maintaining the technological forefront and attending the market trend to reduce or eliminate migration related to MOSH & MOAH, Dynasol Group has developed a group of styrene-butadiene block copolymers with a low molecular weight compared to the current SSBR and SBS that are on the market and are used for the manufacture of Hot Melt adhesives with applications for tapes, labels and packaging. These new SBS have the ability to provide excellent adhesive processability, providing a good adhesive-cohesive balance, without sacrificing low temperature performance; allowing to formulate oil-free Hot Melt adhesives, for applications with expected food contact.