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Investigation of microplastic release during the freeze-thaw cycle of food contact LDPE resealable ziplock bags
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Researchers investigated the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from LDPE resealable ziplock food storage bags during repeated freeze-thaw cycles simulating common household food storage practices. The study found that thermal stress from freezing and thawing accelerated the fragmentation of the bag material, releasing measurable quantities of plastic particles into food contact surfaces and raising concerns about a previously underappreciated domestic pathway for microplastic contamination of food.
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
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