The Biotappo: A New Tool For Food Safety And Consumers’ Protection

Among the plastics commonly used for bottled water and other non-alcoholic refreshment beverages, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most favorable packaging material. Monitoring of the temperatures to which PET-bottled waters are exposed during transportation and/or storage may be crucial in predicting the migration of NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) from PET to water or other beverages. For PET-bottled water and other beverages the monitoring program of the temperature made up of a physical measurement is not easy to perform and sometimes it is even impossible. On the contrary, visual observations of the bottles could provide information in a time frame that allows the stakeholder to take action if an out of control situation occurs. A new tool specifically aimed at monitoring the critical limit for the temperature to which PET bottles are exposed is the BioTappo. The BioTappo is an acrylic, white cap. The top of the cap is covered with a special paint which, when exposed to high temperatures changes its color. The BioTappo could be useful to identify at what steps in the process – transportation and/or storage - the controls should be applied to prevent or eliminate the hazards that have been identified.