SORPTION OF FLAVOR COMPOUNDS BY LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE FILM

The interactions of aldehydes, methyl ketones, methyl esters, sulfur compounds and alkylpyrazines with low density polyethylene (LDPE) were investigated. LDPE film, suspended on a stainless steel support, was immersed in simulated milk ultrafiltrate containing a flavor compound. After shaking the glass bottles containing the solutions and film samples for 24 hr at room temperature (24 +/- 2-degrees-C), the flavor compound was extracted from both the LDPE samples and the SMUF, and quantitated using gas chromatography. The sorption was: aldehydes (C7-C10) 11% to 63%, methyl ketones (C7-C10) 1.5% to 43.0%, methyl esters (C7-C9) 6.0% to 42.0%, and sulfur compounds 8.5% to 21%. Insignificant levels of alkylpyrazines were sorbed. For all flavor compound classes, as carbon chain length increased, the quantity of sorbed flavor compounds increased.