Systematic Evaluation of Food design, Treatments, Packaging and Storage Conditions on Microplastic Concentrations in Complex Matrices
Peng, Guyu (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research)
Faikhaw, Orasai (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research)
Juan Godoy, Bibiana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments)
Reemtsma, Thorsten (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments)

Additional title:	Evaluación sistemática del diseño, tratamientos, envasado y condiciones de almacenamiento de alimentos en concentraciones de microplásticos en matrices complejas
Imprint:	Elsevier BV, 2025
Abstract:	Este estudio evaluó la presencia de microplásticos en leche, bebida de chufa y zumo de naranja antes del consumo, considerando el tipo de alimento, el tratamiento térmico, el envase y el tiempo de almacenamiento. Se detectaron mayores concentraciones en el zumo de naranja, lo que sugiere que los alimentos ácidos liberan más microplásticos. El polipropileno fue el polímero más frecuente y la mayoría de las partículas tenía un tamaño inferior a 50 µm. No se observaron efectos significativos del tratamiento térmico ni del tiempo de almacenamiento.
Abstract:	Worldwide, 44% of plastic products are used as packaging materials, exposing humans to micro(nano)plastics potentially through food ingestion. Here, we evaluated the microplastic concentrations throughout the pre-consumption phase, considering the effects of food design (milk, plant milk and orange juice), treatment (thermal), packaging (glass and polypropylene) and storage duration (0, 90 and 180 days). Due to the rich organic matter in food samples, more than 12 digestion protocols were tested and optimized to establish matrix-specific digestion protocols. Microplastics (> 10 μm) from milk, tiger nut milk and orange juice samples were quantified using micro-Fourier-transform infrared (µ-FTIR) imaging. The microplastic concentrations were 37 ± 34 n/100 mL milk, 18 ± 19 n/100 mL tiger nut milk, and 62 ± 68 n/100 mL orange juice samples, suggesting that acidic food environments released more microplastics. PP was the most frequently detected polymer, followed by polyethylene terephthalate fibers and polystyrene, indicating the contribution from plastic packaging and the ambient environment. No significant difference was observed among thermally treated and non-treated, or various storage duration groups for the three food types. A majority (69%) of detected microplastics were below 50 µm. Chemometric analyses revealed spectral interference from the matrix with the IR spectra of plastic polymers. This study provides the first systematic evaluation of the MP concentrations across multiple food types during commercial food processing, packaging and storage steps pre-consumption, that determined human exposure to microplastics via food intake to guide future mitigation strategies.
Grants:	European Commission GA: 965196
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Microplastics ; Food analysis ; Matrix digestion ; FTIR imaging ; Diet exposure ; Food packaging ; Good anallysis
Published in:	Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, ISSN 2772-4166

DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100972

37 p, 1.8 MB

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