| SML
Software |
The
SML program is a joint development by the Swiss Federal Office
of Public Health (BAG) and the Advanced Kinetics and Technology
Solutions AG company (AKTS AG).
The verification of compliance of food packaging by the application
of recognised diffusion models has recently been introduced
into European legislation [1].
SML is a simulation program. Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
it is able to predict the amount of a substance (additive, contaminant
or residual monomer) that will migrate from a plastic packaging
material into packaged food during a given time. The program
is designed, initially, as a scientific tool for people involved
in food packaging: material producers can check compliance of
a material with Specific Migration Limit (SML) values (comparison
of Qm with SML); laboratory specialists can use the calculated
concentrations to design experimental conditions for a migration
test. A non-exhaustive list of starting substances (monomers
and additives) used in the fabrication of plastic materials
coming into contact with food is also included.
SML-Software focuses on the simulation of release of additives
from multilayer packaging over extensive temperature ranges
and under temperature conditions at which ordinary investigation
would be very difficult. Difficulties arise when temperature
fluctuates during observation time. With SML-Software, it is
possible to consider complex surrounding temperature profiles
such as: stepwise, modulated and shock, as well as real atmospheric
temperature profiles (up to 7000 climates). The technique allows
the simulation of complex packaging (different geometries and
up to 10 multilayer films). By way of comparison, direct investigation
of such diffusion processes would be very complex with this
variety of possible conditions. Calculation of the diffusive
process is based on Fick’s law. It uses the Arrhenius
equation and the latest version of the Piringer model with refined
Ap constant to approximate the diffusion coefficients [2,3].
Diffusion and concentration distribution in all packaging layers
can be computed for both migrant substances leaving the packaging
and for food components entering it.
[1] Commission Directive 2002/72/EC, OJEC L220 of 15 August
2002
[2] Piringer, O. Food Additives and Contaminants, 11 (1994)
221.
[3] Materials and Articles in Contact with Foodstuffs –
Plastics: Estimation of Migration by Generally Recognised Diffusion
Models in Support of EU Directive 90/128/EEC (Migration modelling),
CEN/TC194/SC1/WG4 N106, version 1, August 2001. |
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Download
Monolayer Version (= FREEWARE)
 AKTS-SML
Software
Version : 4.07
Latest upgrade: 21 August 2007 (4.8 MB)
(Note: Simply download the above *.zip file and double click
on it.)
Then, open the analysis examples using SML Software.
Download Multilayer Version (up to
10 layers)
AKTS-SML
Software
Version : 4.07
Latest upgrade: 21 August 2007 (11.3 MB)
(Note: Simply download the above *.zip file and double click
on it.)
The, open the analysis examples using SML Software. |
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