Potential contribution of surface-degraded plastic cutting boards to microplastic contamination in meat processing

Plastic cutting boards are widely used in domestic and professional food preparation; however, their surface wear may represent an underrecognized source of microplastic contamination. This pilot study investigated whether visually assessed degradation of polyethylene-based cutting boards was associated with the transfer of microplastics to pork meat under defined food-preparation scenarios. Five polyethylene-based cutting boards representing different levels of use-related wear were visually assessed using an eight-parameter integrity scoring protocol and assigned to degradation classes A–D. Six exposure scenarios were then evaluated (n = 3 independent replicates per scenario), differing in board condition and contact setting. Pork meat samples were analyzed by Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) chemical imaging (Agilent 8700). Only particles with an equivalent diameter ≥ 10 μm and a spectral match quality ≥ 0.65 were included. Particle counts were corrected using a procedural blank. Across all exposure scenarios, eleven polymer types were detected. Total blank-corrected synthetic microplastic counts ranged from 249 to 1,548 particles per scenario, and irregular fragments were the predominant morphology. Although several higher-contact scenarios involving more degraded cutting boards showed higher particle counts and broader polymer diversity, this pattern was not uniform across all scenarios and should be interpreted cautiously. Brief post-contact washing did not eliminate detectable particles. These findings suggest that worn plastic cutting boards may contribute to microplastic contamination during meat preparation under realistic contact conditions. The combination of visual integrity assessment and LDIR-based polymer identification may serve as a practical exploratory screening approach for evaluating food-contact surface condition. Further studies using larger sample sets and more tightly controlled experimental designs are required before quantitative risk thresholds or routine HACCP integration can be proposed.