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Microplastics in Food: A Review on Analytical Methods and Challenges
Summary
This review summarizes the presence of microplastics in various food products and evaluates the analytical methods used for their detection and identification. Researchers found that microplastics have been documented in seafood, salt, honey, beverages, and other commonly consumed foods, though concentrations vary widely. The study highlights the need for standardized sampling and analysis protocols to enable better risk assessments of human dietary microplastic exposure.
Human exposure to microplastics contained in food has become a significant concern owing to the increasing accumulation of microplastics in the environment. In this paper, we summarize the presence of microplastics in food and the analytical methods used for isolation and identification of microplastics. Although a large number of studies on seafood such as fish and shellfish exist, estimating the overall human exposure to microplastics via food consumption is difficult owing to the lack of studies on other food items. Analytical methods still need to be optimized for appropriate recovery of microplastics in various food matrices, rendering a quantitative comparison of different studies challenging. In addition, microplastics could be added or removed from ingredients during processing or cooking. Thus, research on processed food is crucial to estimate the contribution of food to overall human microplastic consumption and to mitigate this exposure in the future.