Is craft acetate food safe?

kevinngsi_jie_81749

Hi! I'm quite new to the forums and I'm not sure if this question belongs here, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. It's a question that's been asked a lot but after some Googling I still couldn't get a firm answer. Basically it's regarding the use of acetate lining sheets in ring moulds, such as for pastry. Is the acetate sold in craft stores food safe? And I guess a related question is it's for low temperature work such as cake moulding, does it matter? I'm thinking that harmful substances, if any, might be fat soluble and leech out and this would be of greater concern in areas with higher temperatures like chocolate work. Anyone can shed some light on this? I guess I should really be buying food grade sheets anyway, but the inexpensive options tend to come in narrow strips..

Chris_Young_80640

It's very likely fine. There does not seem to be a variety of ways to manufacture acetate film. Nor is acetate made with plasticizer, but rather in acetate film, acetyl (CH3CO) groups are attached to long molecular chains of cellulose. With exposure to moisture and heat the acetyl groups break free again and acetic acid is released. So vinegar is your biproduct when acetate is stressed.