We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Reliable methodologies to determine microplastics in mussels: Enhanced digestion protocols, transference to gold-coated filters and determination via laser-based transflectance infrared spectrometry
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared six digestion protocols for extracting microplastics from Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and found enzymatic-oxidative digestion achieved the highest recovery (>90%), while a two-step alkaline-surfactant method offered a faster, cost-effective alternative. They also validated a transfer protocol to gold-coated filters for quantum cascade laser infrared analysis.
While several analytical strategies have been developed in the last years to determine MPs in marine ecosystems, reliable and fast analytical methods are still needed for monitoring filter-feeder seafood, such as mussels, intended for commercial use. A comprehensive review of state-of-the-art methodologies to evaluate MPs in mussels is presented. Then, an effective method to extract and characterize them in Mytilus Galloprovincialis is proposed. Six digestion procedures were studied: two 1-step alkaline-oxidative methods, two 2-steps alkaline-oxidative methods, a surfactant-oxidative method, and an enzymatic-oxidative one. The latter demonstrated the highest efficacy (recoveries >90 % for the tested polymers), though a modified 2-steps alkaline oxidation using a surfactant offers a cost-effective and slightly faster alternative (on average, 12-13 days, vs 16-17 days of the enzymatic one). The methods proposed here include a transfer protocol from stainless-steel to gold-coated filters (ca. 30 min per filter), which are then analyzed using a quantum cascade laser-based infrared imaging system, QCL-LDIR. The method was validated and its performance compared to previous works. Finally, the methodology was employed to measure MPs in both commercial (2.6 MPs/g, wet weight) and wild mussels (5.2 MPs/g, wet weight), demonstrating its applicability.
More Papers Like This
A reliable analytical method to quantify and characterise microplastics in mussels and clams using gold-coated filters and quantum-cascade laser infrared transflectance imaging (QC-LDIR).
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed and compared three digestion protocols — two alkali-oxidative and one enzymatic-oxidative — for isolating microplastics from bivalve tissue in mussels and clams from Galicia, Spain, and evaluated high-throughput quantum-cascade laser infrared transflectance imaging (QC-LDIR) on gold-coated filters for characterisation. The enzymatic-oxidative method proved most suitable, with a two-step alkaline plus surfactant alternative identified as a reliable low-cost option.
A reliable analytical method to quantify and characterise microplastics in mussels and clams using gold-coated filters and quantum-cascade laser infrared transflectance imaging (QC-LDIR).
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a reliable analytical method for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in mussels and clams from Galicia, Spain, using gold-coated filters combined with quantum-cascade laser infrared transflectance imaging (QCL-LDIR). The method was designed to provide high-throughput, accurate MP analysis for the world's second-largest mussel production region, where these filter feeders serve as environmental sentinel organisms.
A reliable method for the isolation and characterization of microplastics in fish gastrointestinal tracts using an infrared tunable quantum cascade laser system
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed and validated a quantum cascade laser-based method for rapidly characterizing microplastics extracted from fish gastrointestinal tracts, addressing key sample processing challenges and accelerating the identification stage compared to conventional infrared spectroscopy.
A short review on the recent method development for extraction and identification of microplastics in mussels and fish, two major groups of seafood
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarized the methods used to extract and identify microplastics in mussels and fish, two major seafood groups. Researchers found that alkaline digestion was the most common extraction technique while FTIR spectroscopy was the predominant identification method. The study recommends standardizing analytical protocols to enable better comparison of microplastic contamination data across different studies of seafood.
Comparative evaluation of enzymatic, acidic, and alkaline digestion protocols for organic matrix removal from lyophilized and frozen mussel samples (Mytilus galloprovincialis).
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared enzymatic, acidic, and alkaline tissue digestion protocols for extracting microplastics from mussels, finding all three achieved over 96% organic matter removal but that enzymatic digestion best preserved polymer chemical and structural integrity — particularly for PA and PVC — making it the most reliable approach for accurate microplastic identification.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.