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Investigation of microplastic release during the freeze-thaw cycle of food contact LDPE resealable ziplock bags
Summary
Researchers investigated microplastic and nanoplastic release from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) resealable zip-lock food bags during freeze-thaw cycles, simulating common household food storage practices. The study found that thermal cycling caused measurable particle shedding from the plastic packaging, raising concerns about microplastic contamination of food during everyday storage and contributing evidence to the growing understanding of plastic packaging as a dietary exposure route.
The food sector is an area where both single-use plastics and plastic packaging materials are used extensively for hygiene, protection, transportation and distribution. Today, the use of single-use or multi-use plastic products is widespread not only in ready-to-eat foods purchased from outside, but also when preparing food and beverages at home. Therefore, there is a continuous transfer of plastic particles, i.e. microplastic(MP) and nanoplastic(NP) pollution from plastic materials to food during these food contact uses. The first thing that comes to mind in MP contamination in food is food contact plastic packaging. These plastic packages, which are frequently used to protect and transport food, also come into contact with food under very cold or very hot ambient conditions. Studies show that at high temperatures, MP migration from plastic packaging to food material increases (PE film laminated paper cup, tea bag). However, information on MP migration from packaging to food during freezing/thawing is limited.In this study, MP emission during the freeze-thaw cycle of LD-PE ziplock bags, which are widely used on a daily basis, was investigated in controlled experiments. In this context, it was investigated how much MP was released by freezing LD-PE ziplock bags from supermarkets at normal room temperature (20oC), in the refrigerator (4oC) and in the deep freezer (at -23oC). Pure water (0.5L) filtered through a 0.45µm filter was placed in LD-PE bags and sample sets were formed at 3 different temperatures and at certain periods. The water in the samples kept in food contact LD-PE bags at the specified temperatures was taken, firstly 30 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/563492/document