Domino has launched a new 100% mineral oil-free (MOF) black ink developed to address increasing concerns regarding the migration of printing inks and mineral oils onto the carton board and food packaging. Domino’s new 950BK MOF black ink is non-hazardous, fully sustainable and based on vegetable oils.

The environmentally friendly 950BK black ink, which is manufactured using vegetable oil, has been designed specifically for use in Domino’s C6000 drop-on-demand (DOD) outer case coding printer for food packaging applications.

It has been estimated that more than half of the cardboard used in Europe is recycled. Much of this recycled carton-board which is used in food packaging, is produced through the recycling of newspapers. And, it is the mineral-oils from this newsprint ink that is finding its way into the cardboard during the recycling process. These mineral oils contain aromatic and saturated hydrocarbons which can be easily absorbed and over time, accumulate in the body.

By the introduction of Domino’s new 950BK MOF black ink with the C6000 outer case coder, packaging suppliers can be assured of a completely safe solution for printing text, graphics and supply chain bar codes onto paper and cardboard food packages and cartons. This is achieved by eliminating the risk posed by the migration of harmful toxins leaching from mineral oil-based inks from the print on the outer cases and into the food products inside. In addition, the biodegradable properties of the 950BK MOF ink assist in the de-inking of printed matter during the recycling process.

An active member of EuPIA (the European Printing Ink Association), Domino has an extensive fluids development and testing facility at its UK headquarters. This enables the company to monitor market requirements and work with its customers to introduce new consumables that are safe and compliant while delivering exceptional product coding and optimum printer performance.

“The growing concerns about the potential health risks for consumers from mineral oil-based ink contamination is now far too serious to ignore,” says Andrew Gunton, Product Manager – Fluids at Domino. “We have therefore taken a proactive stance by developing an environmentally friendly mineral oil-free ink for our C6000 outer case coding solution. This gives brand owners and manufacturers complete peace of mind that their food products will remain free from mineral oil contamination.”