Temperature dependent leaching of substances from polyamide oven bags is toxic to zooplankton Daphniamagna

Oven bags are widely used in cooking to improve food juiciness and flavor while minimizing dishwashing. These bags are commonly manufactured from plastics such as polyamide (PA, nylon) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, plastics used in food preparation may release additives, microplastics, or nanoplastics into food during heating, raising potential environmental and health concerns. This study investigated whether PA- and PET-based oven bags release leachates and/or micro- and nanoplastic particles during cooking and evaluated the toxicity of these materials using the freshwater zooplankter Daphnia magna. Toxicity tests on Daphnia magna showed no significant effects from room-temperature leachates, whereas material released at elevated temperatures caused significant immobilization. Fractionation experiments indicated that toxicity was primarily associated with small molecular components rather than larger particles. Additional experiments showed that PET oven bags released substantially less material and produced no detectable toxicity under the tested conditions. These results demonstrate that PA oven bags can release temperature-dependent toxic leachates during cooking. The findings highlight the importance of evaluating food-contact plastics for potential chemical release during typical cooking conditions.