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Leveraging the Advanced Capability of Laser Direct Infrared Imaging (LDIR): A Preliminary Analysis of Microplastics in Edible Tissue of Malaysian Fish
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Scientists used a new high-tech scanning method to check for microplastics in the actual meat of fish (not just the guts) sold in Malaysia, and found that bottom-dwelling fish had far more plastic particles in their edible flesh than open-water fish. This matters because it means the fish fillet you eat may contain more plastic than expected depending on where and how the fish lives—though this was a small preliminary study, so larger research is still needed to understand what this means for your health.
Introduction: Microplastic (MP) contamination can endanger marine ecosystems and indirectly affect the well-being of humans through the ingestion of marine species. While most research investigates the digestive system, such as the gills and gastrointestinal tract of fish, it still fails to address a major oversight in understanding MP deposition in edible tissues, which is the primary route of human exposure. The differences in contamination levels among pelagic, demersal, and benthic fish in Malaysian waters remain poorly understood. This preliminary study uses Laser Direct Infrared Imaging (LDIR), a new, high-resolution, automated technique, to examine synthetic MP contamination in the edible portion of fish. Materials and Methods: The MPs were extracted from the edible tissue of three fish species representing pelagic (Fish A), benthic (Fish B), and demersal (Fish C) using KOH and sieved onto a gold mesh filter before analysis using LDIR. Results and Discussion: LDIR identified 162 MP particles, revealing clear differences by polymer type and habitat. Pelagic species mostly contained polyethylene (PE) and rubber (n = 8). Demersal species had mostly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with small amounts of PE and rubber (n = 57). Benthic species showed the highest load, dominated by PET and polypropylene (PP) (n = 97). The morphological assessment of the MPs indicated that the polymers in pelagic fish were smaller, with an area of 2047.82 µm2 and a circularity range of 0.14–0.74, indicating consistent shape. Conversely, MPs are irregular and larger in benthic fish, with areas up to 38,837.50 µm2 and circularities ranging from 0.02 to 0.81. This pattern reflects specific accumulation related to habitat and potential environmental degradation processes. Conclusions: This preliminary study demonstrates the effectiveness of LDIR for detecting MPs in edible fish tissues. The findings provide a fundamental dataset on MP contamination in edible tissue and emphasize its distribution across ecological zones. Nevertheless, broader research is required to substantiate these data and assess the implications of MP contamination for the environmental stability of human and marine well-being.
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