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Food preference determines the best suitable digestion protocol for analysing microplastic ingestion by fish
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Different fish species with different diets require different chemical digestion methods for accurately extracting and identifying microplastics from their digestive tracts. Choosing the right protocol for each species is essential for avoiding underestimation of microplastic ingestion, which affects the accuracy of food safety assessments.
Microplastic presence in the marine environment has generated considerable concern. Many procedures for microplastics detection in fish gastrointestinal tract have been recently developed. In this study, we compared efficiencies of two common procedures applied for the digestion of organic matter (10% KOH; 15% HO) with a new proposal (mixture of 5% HNO and 15% HO). We considered ecological diversity among species and differences in their diet compositions as factors that could affect the efficiency and feasibility of analytical approaches. Our aim was to understand whether either one of the three protocols might be suitable for all species or it might be more advisable to select a method according to the gut content determined by different food preferences. The results showed that the trophic level and feeding habits should be considered for protocol selection. Finally, we applied the best protocols on samples from the Tyrrhenian sea.
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