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A Critical Review on Current Challenges in the Analysis of Microplastics in Food Samples
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This review identifies and evaluates the key analytical challenges in detecting and measuring microplastics in food — from sample digestion and extraction to identification using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The authors highlight that the four most commonly found polymer types in food are polyethylene, polystyrene, PET, and polypropylene, and that method inconsistencies make it difficult to compare results across studies. Improving standardized analytical protocols is critical for accurate dietary exposure assessment and for understanding the true health risks of microplastic ingestion through food.
This Review critically focuses on the current challenges in analyzing microplastics (MPs) in solid and liquid samples, particularly in food products with the greatest potential for MPs contamination. Our literature review revealed that many researchers have used mild to harsh chemical solutions for the digestion of interfering matrixes during the extraction of MPs from several types of food samples. Polyethylene, polystyrene, poly(ethylene terephthalate), and polypropylene are the four main types of polymers found in food. MPs identification techniques such as FT-IR, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy are also discussed in detail. This Review narrows the gap in selecting a suitable membrane for the extraction and identification of MPs from various types of food matrixes. The present review generalizes the combination of techniques that are better suited for the detection of MPs in food and provides awareness of the presence of MPs in food samples and their toxicities.
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