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Emerging Microplastic Contamination in the Food Industry: the Case of Commercial Table Salts in Iligan, Philippines
Summary
Commercial table salts from markets in Iligan City, Philippines were analyzed for microplastic contamination, contributing to limited data from the country on this food safety issue. The study characterized microplastic types, shapes, colors, and sizes across multiple salt brands using density separation and microscopy.
Microplastics (MPs) have become an emerging contaminant in many environmental compartments. Although numerous studies worldwide have accounted for MP contamination in our primary condiments such as salt, there is limited data available in the Philippines. This study aims to determine MPs in commercially distributed salts in markets in Iligan City, Northern Mindanao, the Philippines. We collected table salts of various brands according to their information on the packaging, weight, and salt type. Salt samples were diluted with ultrapure deionized water to float MPs due to their intrinsic hydrophobicity. After flotation, the solutions were filtrated using a vacuum system. The filters were observed under microscopy analysis and suspected MP particles were verified using ATR-FTIR analysis. A total of 31 MP particles were detected, which averaged 11.27 ± 4.31 particles/kg of salt. The most abundant polymer types of MPs were polypropylene (23%), polyethylene (23%) and polyamide (19%). The shapes of MPs were dominated by fibers (65%), whereas white (45%) was the most prevalent color. This research is the first to provide a snapshot of MPs in salts in the Philippines. This adds knowledge on the extent of MP pollution in the food industries and informs the government’s prioritization of this emerging food contaminant.