Plastic Suitable as Packaging Material for Honey Bottles

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Recently, inquiries about propolis liquid

have grown among people asking whether a plastic bottle or a glass bottle is better. Some manufacturers produce propolis liquid in glass bottles

yet loudly claim that plastic bottles must not be used for propolis liquid,

because the propolis liquid will react chemically with the plastic and produce toxic side effects, and so on.

In fact, this view was put forward as early as the 1980s by Moritaro Kinoshita of Japan, who said that plastic bottles are used to hold propolis

because the raw materials of plastic are synthetic resin, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate,

and so on, which will react with the chemical components of propolis and change its nature

• this, however, is only speculation, with no definitive experiments or

data to support it, so the claim is not sufficient grounds.

In the course of our research experiments, we commissioned the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine and other institutions to conduct toxicological and stability tests separately on propolis products that had been held for a relatively long time in plastic buckets and plastic bottles.

The results were of the non-toxic grade, and the physicochemical properties of the product ingredients were stable. It can thus be seen that plastic

has not produced toxic side effects on propolis products.

After consulting the relevant national and industry standards for drugs, foods and health foods,

no provision prohibiting the use of plastic bottles

was found. On the contrary, as drugs,

the requirements are presumably stricter than those for foods and health foods,

and among drugs, the requirements for infusion fluids

are even more at the forefront. However, relevant experts point out that the use of plastic bottles for infusion fluids has become a development trend at home and abroad. This is because plastic bottle infusion has many advantages that glass bottle infusion cannot match: smaller bottle body, lighter weight, not easily broken, resistant to impact, convenient transportation, stable chemical properties, no leachables, no shedding of particles, single

use, avoiding cross-contamination, a high degree of

production automation, little human influence, and no great quality fluctuation. Some experts predict that a pattern in which plastic bottle infusion replaces glass bottle infusion and rivals glass bottle infusion on equal footing will take shape in the next few years. Moreover, in recent years, plastic bottles may grow somewhat faster than non-

bag infusion. There has been some controversy over this, but some foreign reports say that the International Agency for Research on Cancer

(IARC)

has now reclassified the widely used plasticizer, di

phthalate

(DEHP)

as non-carcinogenic to humans. Moreover, the state has strict standards for plastic additives, and qualified plastic containers used for food and drugs

are safe.

Therefore, in the absence of a definitive conclusion, claiming that propolis liquid cannot be packaged in plastic bottles is rather arbitrary. If there is no definitive experimental

result to support it, those who hold this view may be suspected of commercial hype and unfair competition.

It should be noted that when choosing plastic

bottles, one must choose plastic bottles made of materials intended for food, drugs

and the like, which must be confirmed before purchase.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-369999.html