We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Nanoplastic and microplastic contamination in Australian carbonated beverages: Measurement by pyrolysis-GC-MS and the challenge of poly(ethylene terephthalate) oligomer interference
Summary
Researchers measured nanoplastic and microplastic contamination in Australian carbonated beverages using pyrolysis-GC-MS and assessed whether local water sources contributed to the contamination signature. PET oligomers from bottle material were the dominant contaminants and caused analytical interference, highlighting the challenge that packaging-derived plastic signatures can confound environmental particle measurements.
Bottled beverages are increasingly recognised as an important source of dietary exposure to nanoplastics (NP) and microplastics (MP), with source water speculated to contribute to contamination. This study assessed the extent to which the fingerprint of local water sources contributes to NP and MP contamination of Australian carbonated beverages, and examined the utility of the method proposed in the Draft ISO Standard: Water quality — Analysis of microplastic in water —Part 3: Thermo-analytical methods for waters with low content of suspended solids including drinking water for application to carbonated beverages. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC-MS) was used to quantify NP and MP in bottled and soda-fountain beverages manufactured in Australia. In bottled beverages, polypropylene (2.7 µm, 2.7 - 1.0 µm, and 1.0 - 0.3 µm). Polypropylene, poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 were also detected in soda fountain carbonated beverages. Comparison of NP and MP concentrations revealed no similarity between bottled carbonated beverages and bottled water from the same manufacturer, or between soda fountain beverages and tap water collected at the same location. Quantification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was further assessed for accuracy due to frequent detection of high concentrations of pyrolysis products. PET oligomers (repeating units of ethylene terephthalate) were identified as an important interference for PET analysis by Pyr-GC-MS, as they form the same pyrolysis products in both single and double shot mode, providing a false positive PET detection. PET could not therefore be confidently quantified. This study provides preliminary evidence of MP and NP in store bought carbonated beverages, and also provides the first evidence of oligomer interference, further highlighting the challenges of quantifying PET in water using Pyr-GC-MS.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Quantifying Nanoplastics and Microplastics in Food and Beverages Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Challenges and Implications
Scientists used a specialized analytical technique to measure nanoplastics and microplastics in common Australian foods and beverages, estimating that people consume about 1.7 to 2.0 milligrams of plastic per year from drinks like water, tea, coffee, beer, and wine alone. The study also highlighted that current detection methods may undercount plastic contamination in solid foods because of measurement limitations.
Toward a unified framework for investigating micro(nano)plastics in packaged beverages intended for human consumption
This review unified the diverse methodologies used to detect micro- and nanoplastics in packaged beverages (bottled water, beer, milk, soft drinks), identifying detection, quantification, and source characterization as the three key analytical needs requiring standardization for meaningful cross-study comparisons.
Smaller-sized micro-plastics (MPs) contamination in single-use PET-bottled water in Thailand.
This study quantified microplastics in ten brands of single-use PET-bottled water sold in Thailand, finding an average of 140 particles per liter using fluorescent staining. The results add to global evidence that bottled water is a consistent route of human microplastic exposure and suggest that plastic packaging is a likely contamination source.
Sources of Microplastic Contamination in PET Bottled Drinking Water: A Life Cycle Perspective
This study traces the sources of microplastic contamination in PET bottled drinking water across the product life cycle, identifying raw pellet spillage during shipping, manufacturing processes, bottle filling and capping operations, and bottle reuse as successive contamination pathways.
Microplastics contamination in popular soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages marketed in Iran: Quantity and characteristics
Researchers found microplastics in 80–90% of popular soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages sold in Iran, detecting an average of about 22 particles per liter, with plastic fragments from PET and polyethylene packaging as the dominant types. These findings highlight that plastic beverage containers are a likely source of human microplastic ingestion and call for tighter industry monitoring.