Okuzeka
Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Packaging and Labeling

Migration

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

/maɪˈɡreɪʃən/nounAdvanced term

In food science & technology, migration means: The transfer of substances from packaging or other food contact materials into the food, for example plasticizers, monomers or components of printing ink.

In Turkish: migrasyon, geçiş

How it is used

Packaging suppliers test migration with food simulants, such as dilute ethanol or acetic acid, under set times and temperatures. EU rules set an overall migration limit of 10 mg per dm² for plastics and specific migration limits (SMLs) for certain substances. Fatty foods and high temperatures increase migration.

Example sentences

  1. The migration test on the new tray passed, even at 70 °C for two hours.

  2. Ink migration from the printed outer film gave the biscuits a chemical taste.

Common collocations

  • overall migration
  • specific migration limit
  • migration test
  • food simulant
  • ink migration
  • food contact materialAny material that touches food during production, storage, packaging or serving, such as packaging, conveyor belts, gloves, tanks and kitchen tools.
  • packagingThe materials and containers that hold and protect a food product, and also the process of putting the product into them.
  • contaminationThe presence or entry of something harmful or unwanted in food, such as microorganisms, chemicals, allergens or pieces of glass, metal or plastic.
  • specificationA document that sets out the agreed requirements for a raw material, packaging or product, such as composition, chemical and microbiological limits, appearance and packing.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Packaging and Labeling

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: