In November, the 66th European Federation of Wooden Pallet & Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) Congress in Cork, Ireland and the 29th Congress of the European Federation of Science and Food Technology (EFFoST) in Athens, Greece presented new scientific studies on wood and food safety.
In Cork, a presentation was given on the conclusions of an extensive three-year research initiative by the 'EMABOIS' consortium, composed of 27 research projects and directed by Aviat and Federighi, that have led to several doctoral dissertations and scientific articles on wood.
Their conclusions are in line with microbiological comparative work on fish packaging by Rodríguez Jerez of the Autonomous University of Barcelona that were presented in Athens.
EMABois, composed of various French research authorities, including Actalia, ESB, ESI Reims, FCBA and ONIRIS, carried out thousands of tests and validated methods and protocols for the microbiological and chemical analysis of wood. The results confirmed the microbiological and chemical safety of wooden surfaces in contact with fresh products such as fruits, vegetables, fish and dairy products.
As other recent studies have shown, there is a higher antimicrobial effect on wood by physical inhibition on species of wood, including spruce, pine and poplar. It concluded that its porosity is an advantage in this regard against other materials in contact with food and considered as 'smooth', such as plastic.
With regard to the migration of natural wood molecules, the EMABois consortium concluded that particularly natural, volatile, organic compounds are involved, but their transfer to food is limited, meaning they are safe for the consumer.
The study identifies harmless substances in the international legal framework and scientific literature, which are used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry as thickeners, flavorings or natural dyes.
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