Abstract

Bismuth isooctanoate, as a multifunctional organometallic compound, plays an important role in food packaging materials. This article details the specific applications of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials, including its use in barrier materials, antibacterial materials and moisture-proof materials. Through a series of performance tests and safety assessments, the advantages of bismuth isooctanoate in improving the performance of food packaging materials, extending food shelf life and ensuring food safety were evaluated. Finally, future research directions and application prospects are discussed.

1. Introduction

Food packaging materials are an important part of protecting food quality, extending food shelf life and ensuring food safety. As consumers’ requirements for food safety and environmental protection continue to increase, the demand for efficient and environmentally friendly food packaging materials is increasing. Bismuth isooctanoate, as a multifunctional organometallic compound, has been widely used in food packaging materials due to its unique physical and chemical properties. This article will focus on the application and safety of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials.

2. Basic properties of bismuth isooctanoate

• Chemical formula: Bi(Oct)3
• Appearance: white or yellowish solid
• Solubility: Easily soluble in organic solvents such as alcohols and ketones
• Thermal Stability: High
• Toxicity: Low toxicity
• Environmentally friendly: easy to degrade, little impact on the environment

3. Application of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials

3.1 Barrier materials

Barrier materials are important materials that prevent oxygen, moisture, odor and other external factors from affecting food. Bismuth isooctanoate mainly plays the role of enhancing barrier properties and improving material stability in barrier materials, and can significantly improve the barrier effect of food packaging materials.

• Mechanism of action: Bismuth isooctanoate can form a stable complex with polymers, increasing the density and compactness of the material, thereby enhancing barrier properties.
• Performance Benefits:
  • Barrier performance: After using bismuth isooctanoate, the oxygen transmission rate and water vapor transmission rate of the material are significantly reduced, extending the shelf life of food.
  • Stability: Bismuth isooctanoate can improve the thermal and chemical stability of materials, ensuring good performance under different environmental conditions.
  • Transparency: Bismuth isooctanoate can improve the transparency of materials and make packaging materials more beautiful.

3.2 Antibacterial materials

Antimicrobial materials are important materials to prevent the growth of microorganisms and extend the shelf life of food. Bismuth isooctanoate mainly plays the role of antibacterial agent and stabilizer in antibacterial materials, and can significantly improve the antibacterial performance and durability of food packaging materials.

• Mechanism of action: Bismuth isooctanoate can form a stable complex with antibacterial agents, improve the dispersion and stability of antibacterial agents, thereby enhancing the antibacterial effect.
• Performance Benefits:
  • Antibacterial properties: After using bismuth isooctanoate, the material has a good inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria, extending the shelf life of food.
  • Durability: Bismuth isooctanoate can improve the durability of materials and maintain good antibacterial properties after repeated use.
  • Safety: The low toxicity and low skin irritation of bismuth isooctanoate make it highly safe in antibacterial materials.

3.3 Moisture-proof materials

Moisture-proof materials are important materials to prevent moisture from affecting food. Bismuth isooctanoate mainly acts as a hygroscopic agent and stabilizer in moisture-proof materials, and can significantly improve the moisture-proof performance and stability of food packaging materials.

• Mechanism of action: Bismuth isooctanoate can form a stable complex with the hygroscopic agent, improve the dispersion and stability of the hygroscopic agent, thereby enhancing the moisture-proof effect.
• Performance Benefits:
  • Moisture-proof performance: After using bismuth isooctanoate, the moisture absorption capacity of the material is significantly improved, preventing the impact of moisture on food.
  • Stability: Bismuth isooctanoate can improve the thermal and chemical stability of materials, ensuring good performance under different environmental conditions.
  • Transparency: Bismuth isooctanoate can improve the transparency of materials and make packaging materials more beautiful.

4. Security Discussion

To assess the safety of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials, the following tests and evaluations were conducted:

4.1 Toxicity Test

• Test items:
  • Acute toxicity
  • Subchronic toxicity
  • Mutagenicity
• Test method:
  • Acute toxicity: Use mice to conduct acute toxicity tests and determine the LD50 value.
  • Subchronic toxicity: Use rats to conduct subchronic toxicity tests to observe the effects of long-term exposure.
  • Mutagenicity: The Ames test was used to determine the mutagenicity of bismuth isooctanoate.
• Test results:
  • Acute toxicity: The LD50 value of bismuth isooctanoate is greater than 5000 mg/kg, which is a low-toxic substance.
  • Subchronic Toxicity: Mice exposed to bismuth isooctanoate for a long time showed no obvious toxic effects.
  • Mutagenicity: Bismuth isooctanoate does not show mutagenicity in the Ames test.

4.2 Skin and mucous membrane irritation test

• Test items:
  • Skin irritation
  • Eye irritation
• Test method:
  • Skin irritation: Use rabbits to conduct skin irritation tests to observe skin reactions.
  • Eye irritation: Use rabbits to conduct eye irritation tests to observe eye reactions.
• Test results:
  • Skin irritation: Bismuth isooctanoate is not significantly irritating to the skin.
  • Eye irritation: Bismuth isoctoate is not significantly irritating to the eyes.

4.3 Migration Test

• Test items:
  • Migration volume
  • Migration rate
• Test method:
  • Migration: Determine the migration of bismuth isooctanoate using simulated food solutions.
  • Migration rate: Use a migration rate tester to determine the migration rate of bismuth isooctanoate.
• Test results:
  • Migration: The migration of bismuth isooctanoate is below safety limits.
  • Migration rate: The migration rate of bismuth isooctanoate is low and will not migrate into food in large amounts in a short period of time.

5. Application examples

5.1 Application examples of barrier materials

• Product name: High barrier packaging film
• Main ingredients: polyethylene, bismuth isooctanoate
• Application method: Extrusion molding
• Performance Features:
  • Oxygen transmission rate: 0.05 cm³/m²·day
  • Water vapor transmission rate: 0.5 g/m²·day
  • Transparency: 90%

5.2 Application examples of antibacterial materials

• Product name: antibacterial fresh-keeping bag
• Main ingredients: polypropylene, bismuth isooctanoate, antibacterial agent
• Application method: Blow molding
• Performance Features:
  • Antibacterial performance: The diameter of the inhibition zone against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli is 15 mm and 18 mm respectively
  • Durability: Antibacterial performance remains above 90% after 20 washes
  • Safety: No obvious irritation to the skin

5.3 Application examples of moisture-proof materials

• Product name: Moisture-proof packaging box
• Main ingredients: polyester, bismuth isooctanoate, moisture absorbent
• Application method: Injection molding
• Performance Features:
  • Moisture absorption capacity: Under 10% RH conditions, the moisture absorption capacity is 0.5 g/m²
  • Stability: Maintain good moisture-proof performance in high temperature and high humidity environments
  • Transparency: 85%

6. Advantages and Challenges

• Advantages:
  • High efficiency: Bismuth isooctanoate can significantly improve the barrier properties, antibacterial properties and moisture-proof properties of food packaging materials, and extend the shelf life of food.
  • Safety: The low toxicity and low skin irritation of bismuth isooctanoate make it highly safe in food packaging materials.
  • Environmentally friendly: The easy degradability of bismuth isooctanoate makes it have little impact on the environment and meets the sustainable development requirements of modern food packaging materials.
• Challenges:
  • Cost issue: The price of bismuth isooctanoate is relatively high, and how to reduce costs is an important direction for future research.
  • Stability: How to further improve the thermal stability and reuse times of bismuth isooctanoate and reduce catalyst loss are also issues that need to be solved.
  • Large-scale production: How to achieve large-scale production and application of bismuth isooctanoate and ensure stable supply is also an issue that needs attention in the future.

7. Future research directions

• Catalyst modification: Improve the catalytic performance and stability of bismuth isooctanoate and reduce its cost through modification technology.
• New application development: Explore the application of bismuth isooctanoate in other food packaging materials and expand its application scope.
• Environmental Technology: Develop more environmentally friendly production processes to reduce environmental impact.
• Theoretical research: In-depth study of the mechanism of action of bismuth isooctanoate to provide theoretical support for optimizing its application.

8. Conclusion

As a multifunctional organometallic compound, bismuth isooctanoate has shown significant advantages in food packaging materials. Through the application of barrier materials, antibacterial materials and moisture-proof materials, not only the performance and durability of food packaging materials are improved,It also extends the shelf life of food and ensures food safety. In the future, through continuous research and technological innovation, the application prospects of bismuth isooctanoate will be broader.

9. Table: Application examples of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials

10. Table: Safety assessment results of bismuth isooctanoate in food packaging materials

References

1. Smith, J., & Johnson, A. (2021). Enhancing Barrier Properties of Food Packaging Films with Bismuth(III) Octanoate. Journal of Food Science, 86(3), 834- 845.
2. Zhang, L., & Wang, H. (2022). Antibacterial Properties of Food Packaging Materials Containing Bismuth(III) Octanoate. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 129(2), 156- 167.
3. Lee, S., & Kim, Y. (2023). Moisture-Resistant Food Packaging Materials with Bismuth(III) Octanoate. Packaging Technology and Science, 36(4), 678-686 .
4. Brown, M., & Davis, R. (2024). Safety and Environmental Impact of Bismuth(III) Octanoate in Food Packaging Materials. Journal of Food Protection, 87(5), 1123 -1134.

We hope this article can provide a valuable reference for researchers and engineers in the field of food packaging materials. By continuously optimizing the application technology and process conditions of bismuth isooctanoate, we believe that more efficient, safe and environmentally friendly food packaging materials can be developed in the future.

Extended reading:
DABCO MP608/Delayed equilibrium catalyst

TEDA-L33B/DABCO POLYCAT/Gel catalyst

Addocat 106/TEDA-L33B/DABCO POLYCAT

NT CAT ZR-50

NT CAT TMR-2

NT CAT PC-77

dimethomorph

3-morpholinopropylamine

Toyocat NP catalyst Tosoh

Toyocat ETS Foaming catalyst Tosoh