Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Occurrence, Distribution, and Extraction Methods of Microplastics in Marine Organisms

This review synthesizes global data on microplastic occurrence and distribution across marine organisms, comparing the advantages and limitations of different extraction and identification methods used in the field.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of the Methods Used for Identification and Quantification

This review covered the methods used to identify and characterize microplastics in marine environmental samples, evaluating the strengths and limitations of visual, spectroscopic, and chemical approaches for field and laboratory analysis.

2012 Environmental Science & Technology 5047 citations
Article Tier 2

Isolation of microplastics in biota-rich seawater samples and marine organisms

Researchers developed and tested methods for extracting microplastics from seawater samples rich in biological material and from the tissues of marine organisms. They found that enzymatic digestion was the most effective and least destructive approach for isolating microplastics from biological samples, outperforming acid and alkaline treatments. The study provides improved laboratory protocols that will help scientists more accurately measure microplastic contamination in marine environments and wildlife.

2014 Scientific Reports 1035 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and Validation of an Efficient Method for Processing Microplastics in Biota Samples

A new one-step laboratory method was developed to efficiently digest and extract microplastics from mussel and fish tissue samples. Standardized extraction methods are critical for making microplastic studies comparable across different labs and species.

2019 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation and optimisation of sample preparation protocols suitable for the analysis of plastic particles present in seafood

Ten digestion protocols for extracting microplastics from seafood were compared across a broad range of species, evaluating their ability to fully digest tissue without damaging polymer integrity, providing a basis for selecting suitable methods for human exposure assessment.

2021 Food Control 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Sampling, isolating and identifying microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates

This study reviewed sampling and identification methods for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, evaluating each approach for accuracy, reproducibility, and applicability to different species and sample types.

2016 Analytical Methods 945 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards the suitable monitoring of ingestion of microplastics by marine biota: A review

This review assessed various monitoring methods for detecting microplastic ingestion by marine biota, comparing laboratory and field-based approaches. The authors recommend method selection based on organism type and research question and call for more consistent reporting standards to enable cross-study comparison.

2016 Environmental Pollution 254 citations
Review Tier 2

A review on methods for extracting and quantifying microplastic in biological tissues

This review evaluates the methods scientists use to extract and identify microplastics from biological tissues like fish, shellfish, and animal organs. Researchers found that different extraction approaches (using acids, bases, or enzymes) yield different results, and many studies report finding plastics at sizes that may be too large to have actually crossed biological barriers. The study calls for more standardized and biologically plausible methods to improve the reliability of tissue contamination research.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Extraction from Marine Vertebrate Digestive Tracts, Regurgitates and Scats: A Protocol for Researchers from All Experience Levels

This paper presents a standardized protocol for extracting and identifying microplastics from the digestive systems of marine vertebrates (mammals, birds, turtles, and fish). Having consistent, accessible methods is essential for generating comparable data on how much plastic wildlife across different species and regions are ingesting.

2018 BIO-PROTOCOL 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical methods used in microplastics identification: A review

This review examines the range of analytical methods used to identify microplastics in environmental samples, evaluating the strengths and limitations of techniques including visual inspection, spectroscopy, and chromatography for accurate microplastic characterization.

2024 Journal of Hydro-meteorology
Article Tier 2

Optimisation of enzymatic digestion and validation of specimen preservation methods for the analysis of ingested microplastics

This study developed and validated an enzymatic tissue digestion method for extracting microplastics from both freshly collected and museum-archived marine specimens. The non-destructive approach opens the possibility of using long-term museum collections to trace historical changes in microplastic ingestion by marine organisms.

2016 Analytical Methods 214 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of an Analytical Protocol for the Extraction of Microplastics from Seafood Samples with Different Levels of Fat

Researchers optimized an analytical protocol for extracting microplastics from seafood samples with varying fat content, addressing a key methodological challenge in accurately quantifying microplastic contamination in marine food sources given the ubiquitous presence of plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in marine environments.

2022 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Sampling, Isolating and Identifying Microplastics Ingested by Fish and Invertebrates *

This methodological review critically evaluated sampling, isolation, and identification techniques for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, identifying common sources of error including contamination during processing, particle loss, and misidentification — and recommending standardized protocols.

2020 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Validation of an optimised protocol for quantification of microplastics in heterogenous samples: A case study using green turtle chyme

This paper developed and validated an optimized protocol for extracting and quantifying microplastics from the gut contents of marine organisms. Having a reliable, standardized method is essential for generating consistent data on microplastic ingestion across different species and studies.

2018 MethodsX 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic extraction from digestive tracts of large decapods

This study developed and validated a method for extracting microplastics from the digestive tracts of large decapod crustaceans, enabling accurate quantification and polymer identification. The protocol minimizes contamination and is suitable for routine monitoring of seafood species.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for the detection of microplastics in mammals

Scientists now detect microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, and other tissues, but the field still lacks a single gold-standard method for measuring them. This review compares the strengths and limitations of current detection techniques — including spectroscopy, microscopy, and chemical digestion — to help standardize how microplastics in the human body are quantified, which is a prerequisite for accurately assessing health risks.

2023 Theoretical and Natural Science
Article Tier 2

Methods for separating and extracting microplastics from food systems

This review examines methods for separating and extracting microplastics from food systems, addressing the challenge that inadequate collection and analysis methods have hindered accurate assessment of microplastic contamination in the food supply. The authors evaluate digestion, filtration, and spectroscopic identification protocols and identify best practices for standardizing microplastic analysis in diverse food matrices.

2024 Tovaroved prodovolstvennykh tovarov (Commodity specialist of food products) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction of biodegradable microplastics from tissues of aquatic organisms

Researchers developed and validated a method for extracting biodegradable microplastics from tissues of aquatic organisms, finding that standard extraction protocols used for conventional plastics are insufficient and that enzymatic digestion combined with density separation is needed to recover these materials accurately.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and detection methods of microplastics in food and marine systems: A critical review

This critical review evaluates the various methods used to extract and detect microplastics in food and marine samples, from sample preparation to analytical identification. Researchers found significant inconsistencies across studies in how microplastics are separated, quantified, and characterized, making it difficult to compare results. The study calls for standardized protocols to enable more reliable assessments of microplastic contamination in food and the environment.

2021 Chemosphere 164 citations
Article Tier 2

Global insights into microplastic contamination in marine life: detection methods and current status

This review provides a global overview of microplastic contamination in marine organisms, covering how these particles are ingested, accumulate through food chains, and affect marine life. Researchers summarize detection methods including spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques, evaluating their strengths and limitations. The study emphasizes that while significant progress has been made, major challenges remain in detecting nanoplastics, standardizing methods, and understanding long-term health effects for both marine life and seafood consumers.

2025 The Analyst 3 citations
Review Tier 2

Recovering microplastics from marine samples: A review of current practices

This review compared the published methods for separating and identifying microplastics from seawater, sediment, and marine organisms, assessing their efficiency, processing time, and potential to damage particles. It highlights the lack of standardized protocols as a major barrier to comparing results across studies.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 254 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and identification of microplastics from mussels: Method development and preliminary results

Scientists developed and validated a method for extracting and identifying microplastics from mussel tissue, then applied it to measure contamination in commercially harvested mussels. The method produced reliable, reproducible results, providing a practical tool for monitoring microplastic levels in one of the world's most widely consumed shellfish.

2021 Italian Journal of Food Safety 19 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparison of microscopic and spectroscopic identification methods for analysis of microplastics in environmental samples

Researchers compared microscopic and spectroscopic methods for analyzing microplastics in environmental samples, evaluating accuracy and efficiency and finding that spectroscopic confirmation substantially reduces misidentification errors.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 820 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving the efficiency of post-digestion method in extracting microplastics from gastrointestinal tract and gills of fish

Researchers compared three post-digestion techniques for separating microplastics from fish tissue samples and found sieving and zinc chloride density separation both achieved over 95% efficiency without damaging most polymer types. The study provides practical guidance for improving the accuracy of microplastic detection in marine biological samples.

2020 Chemosphere 38 citations