The next generation of nonylphenol-free phosphite technology from US-based Addivant (Middlebury, Connecticut; www.addivant.com) has recently received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food contact applications.

“Weston 705” antioxidant is a stabiliser that protects polymers from degradation during use and, according to the company, though it looks, handles and functions similar to “Weston TNPP” phosphite, it is nonylphenol free and higher in phosphorous with lower loadings providing equivalent performance.

Now that it has been given the stamp of approval from the FDA, Addivant says its product is ready for a wide range of applications in food packaging – such as deli wrap and snack food bags – as well as non-food packaging and non-packaging applications. As the antioxidant is a clear, colourless and odourless liquid, it also supports trends in multi-layer films and coated, laminated films.

The East Coast entity says one of the top benefits of Weston 705 is that it provides better phosphite solubility than solid products, which helps decrease downtime for die cleaning thus allowing processors to run production lines faster without having to worry about polymer degradation. In addition, the technology meets the demands of new engineered plastics solutions where polymers must withstand rigorous processing conditions such as higher temperatures, greater shear and increased recycling.

The former antioxidants and UV stabilisers solutions business of Chemtura also claims the stabilisation performance has been enhanced ten-fold in terms of colour protection over standard antioxidants and allows for thinner film with the same strength.

“We developed our innovative liquid antioxidant with the future in mind,” explains Peter Smith, president and CEO at Addivant. “Not only does this technology overcome the drawbacks of conventional solid phosphites, but it also allows our customers to capitalise on their latent technology to further enhance the polymer architecture allowing them to meet the needs of the very latest in processing systems, end markets and applications.”