ISO 10106:2021

Overview

ISO 10106:2021 - "Cork stoppers - Determination of global migration" specifies a laboratory test method to measure the total mass of non-volatile constituents released from cork stoppers into a food simulant under conditions simulating real use. The standard applies to all types of ready-to-use cork stoppers (completely or partially inserted into the bottle neck) and uses a suitably finished bottle to reproduce closure/contact conditions.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and definition: Defines global migration as the mass of non‑volatile constituents transferred from the cork to the simulant.
• Sample size and preparation: At least nine cork stoppers are sampled and grouped into three test series (three corks per series).
• Simulants and reagents: Typical simulants include demineralized water, ethanol (≥96 %), ethanol solutions (20 % or 50 % or beverage-equivalent alcohol), and 3 % acetic acid; other simulants may be used depending on intended use.
• Test conditions: Contact temperature at (40 ± 4) °C; bottles filled with 100 ml simulant, left upright 60 min, then inverted and held for 10 days.
• Apparatus and accuracy: Requires corking machine, thermostatic ovens (103 ± 5 °C and 40 ± 4 °C), rotary evaporator or equivalent (evaporation at 85 ± 5 °C), and a balance with 0.1 mg resolution.
• Determination method: Filtrate from three bottles is evaporated, residue dried in a weighed capsule, and mass determined after drying to constant weight; blank determinations using a watch glass replace the cork/bottle pair.
• Calculation and reporting: Global migration expressed as mg per cork stopper (formula and rounding rules provided). Test report must identify the sample, reference ISO 10106:2021, list sampling method, simulant type and alcohol degree, mouth finish, results, deviations, accidents, and filter type/porosity.

Applications and who uses it

ISO 10106:2021 is used for:

• Quality control by cork manufacturers and suppliers to verify migration performance of cork stoppers.
• Compliance testing by beverage bottlers and packaging manufacturers concerned with food contact safety.
• Independent testing laboratories and conformity assessment bodies performing migration testing for regulatory or customer specifications.
• Product development teams assessing alternative cork materials or treatments.

Practical benefits include reproducible, standardized measurement of extractables from cork stoppers under simulated use, enabling risk assessment and supplier validation.

Related standards

• EN 12726 - Packaging: cork mouth finish reference
• NF H35-029 - Bottling industry: glass bottle finishes (Champenoise crowns)
• NF H35-027 - Bottling industry: Porto finish

Keywords: ISO 10106:2021, cork stoppers, global migration, migration testing, food simulant, cork testing, cork stopper quality.