The edible oils are light sensitive food products since they degrade by photo-oxidation, which promotes darkening of the product, alteration of its flavor and consequently its rejection. For edible oils packed in transparent packages, photo-oxidation becomes the main cause of the oxidative deterioration due to the light effect, reducing the shelf-life of the product. Then, it is necessary to use UV absorbers, colorless substances added to the package material, that absorb the incident UV radiation or deactivate the excited chromophores. The aim of this study was to evaluate the light barrier of PET bottles available in the Brazilian market used for edible oil packaging, by measuring the specular light transmission spectra obtained in the UV-Visible regions. The packages that showed light barrier were analyzed by HPLC in order to identify and quantify the additive. The UV absorbers identified in the plastic packages were considered with regard to the restriction and composition limits established by the Resolução 105 from Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária - ANVISA. It was then possible to make a diagnosis about the use of UV absorbers in PET bottles for edible oil packaging available in the Brazilian market.
PET; plastic packaging; bottles; edible oil; UV absorber
