Absorbing moisture from raw meat, frying paper…are you using kitchen paper incorrectly at home?

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When you are dealing with moisture on the surface of raw meat in the kitchen, are you used to using a paper towel to absorb the moisture? Or do you just pull out a paper towel and put it under fried food? Paper towel absorbs both water and oil, and many people use it to deal with food and clean kitchen utensils. But can this "all-purpose" paper towel really be used in this way? Does it really meet the requirements for food contact even though it looks clean?

01. The difference between kitchen paper towels and ordinary paper towels

With the improvement of living standards, more and more types of paper are used in our homes. The relevant national standards have clear applicable scope regulations for different types of paper products. According to the national standard "Kitchen Paper Towels" (GB/T 26174-2023), the scope of application of kitchen paper is paper towels used for wiping, cleaning and other purposes. Kitchen paper is made of native plant fibers and other fibers (such as synthetic fibers or man-made fibers). It has a thick and strong texture and high water and oil absorption properties. The napkins we use daily are disposable sanitary products that directly contact human skin or mucous membranes. They are mainly made of fiber raw materials such as wood pulp and straw pulp. They are soft and thin, but their strength and water absorption are not as good as kitchen paper. The scenarios and scope of use are also quite different from kitchen paper towels.

02. Can kitchen paper towels come into direct contact with food?

Let me give you the answer first: It is not recommended to use kitchen towels in direct contact with food.

The reason for producing kitchen paper towels is that most disposable rags on the market are made of polyester fibers and processed through spunlace composite technology. These raw materials are expensive and the preparation process is complicated, so it is of great significance to develop a disposable kitchen paper with low cost and good water and oil absorption effect [4]. In the national standard document "Kitchen Paper Towels" (GB/T 26174-2023), the main technical indicators are reflected (such as water absorption time, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, etc.). Since kitchen utensils and tableware will directly contact food or human skin after being cleaned by kitchen paper towels, in the new standard of 2023, in addition to limiting the microbial indicators, the assessment of the types of raw materials and product safety performance of the products has also been strengthened [5].

Image source: Reference 5

However, from the perspective of food safety, if kitchen paper towels are to come into direct contact with food, they must comply with the provisions of the National Food Safety Standard for Food Contact Paper and Paperboard Materials and Products (GB 4806.8-2022) , which has strict requirements for sensory, migration, residues, and microorganisms. In daily life, common food contact papers include waxed paper, silicone oil paper, and pulp molded products.

Some people may wonder: "I have used kitchen paper towels to handle food before, and it seems that nothing happened?" On the one hand, only a few surfaces of food will come into contact with kitchen paper towels, and the contact range is limited. Moreover, most raw meat will still be processed at high temperature after absorbing water, which can achieve a certain sterilization effect. On the other hand, some kitchen paper towels on the market are produced according to food contact standards and can be used. If it is inevitable that paper towels need to come into contact with food, it is recommended to use cooking paper, oil-absorbing paper, etc. instead. It should be noted that the hygiene indicators of ordinary paper towels mainly consider contact with skin and mucous membranes, and there are differences with the standards for food contact paper. The risk of temporarily using napkins to wrap dry food for a short time is low, but it is not recommended to contact grease or high-temperature food to avoid the migration of chemicals such as fluorescent whitening agents that may exist in paper towels.

03. How to choose kitchen paper towels?

Although the national standard defines kitchen paper towels as limited to kitchen cleaning, there are still many kitchen paper towels on the market that are sold under the banner of "food grade". Kitchen paper towels that can safely contact food must comply with both the "Kitchen Paper Towels" (GB/T 26174-2023) and the "National Food Safety Standard for Food Contact Paper and Paperboard Materials and Products" (GB 4806.8-2022). In addition, since the new national standard for kitchen paper towels will be officially implemented after September 1, 2024, there will be higher and more detailed requirements for the quality of paper towels. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase kitchen paper towels produced after this date that meet the current national standard.

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Next time, when you casually pull out a paper towel to soak up the blood and wrap fried chicken - wait! It may be shouting in its heart: "I am responsible for cleaning, not food-grade bodyguard!"

References

[1] National Standard: Kitchen Paper Towel GB/T 26174-2023

[2] National Standard: Food Contact Paper and Paperboard Materials and Products GB 4806.8-2022

[3] National Standard: Hygiene requirements for disposable sanitary products GB 15979-2024

[4] Guo Jinta, He Sihan, Wang Haisong. Research on production technology of kitchen absorbent paper[J]. China Paper Industry, 2017, 38(22): 35-38.

[5] Guo Ailian, Liu Hao. Analysis of GB/T 26174-2023 "Kitchen Paper Towel" Standard [J]. Tianjin Papermaking, 2024, 46(01): 39-43.

[6] Feng Yafang, Wen Jianyu. GB/T 26174-2023 “Kitchen paper towels”[J]. Standard Life, 2024, (01): 56-61.

Author: Guo Yichen

Planning & Editing: Tiara

Acknowledgements: Professor Ma Ruguang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Suzhou University of Science and Technology provided scientific guidance for this article.