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Thermal aging of polystyrene microplastics within mussels (Mytilus coruscus) under boiling and drying processing
Summary
Researchers investigated how common thermal food processing methods, including boiling and various drying techniques, cause polystyrene microplastics within mussels to age and degrade. All processing methods accelerated aging of the microplastics, with microwave drying having the most significant effect, producing smaller particles with altered surface chemistry and increased water-attracting properties. The findings highlight that food processing itself may transform microplastics into forms that could pose different or greater risks to consumers.
Aged microplastics (MPs) in the environment are a growing concern due to their higher ecological toxicity compared to pristine MPs. While previous studies have explored aging behaviors of MPs under various stress conditions, little is known about their aging during food processing. In this study, we investigated the effects of different thermal food processing methods on the aging of polystyrene (PS) MPs within mussels. We subjected the mussels containing PS MPs to boiling, boiling/solar drying, boiling/hot air drying, and boiling/microwave drying treatments, all of which are common preservation methods used in industry. We analyzed the particle size, surface morphology, yellowing, crystallinity, chemical groups, and hydrophilicity of the PS MPs to understand the aging process. Results show that all processing methods led to aging of PS MPs, with boiling/microwave drying having the most significant impact, followed by boiling/hot air drying, boiling/solar drying, and boiling alone. The aged PS MPs exhibited smaller size, morphological changes, reduced crystallinity, increased yellowness index and carbonyl index, higher presence of O-containing groups, and enhanced hydrophilicity. These findings provide evidence of MPs aging during thermal food processing and emphasize the potential risks associated with this pathway.