Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

Extraction method development for nanoplastics from oyster and fish tissues

Researchers developed a method for extracting nanoplastics from oyster and fish tissues using enzymatic digestion, sequential membrane filtration, and purification steps, addressing a critical methodological gap for assessing nanoplastic contamination in seafood.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 33 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

Detection, counting and characterization of nanoplastics in marine bioindicators: a proof of principle study

Researchers demonstrated a proof-of-concept workflow for detecting and counting nanoplastic particles (below 1 µm) in marine invertebrate tissues using electron microscopy and spectroscopic confirmation, finding nanoplastics in marine bioindicator species and establishing a methodology for future monitoring programs.

2021 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and optimization of a standard method for extraction of microplastics in mussels by enzyme digestion of soft tissues

Researchers optimized methods for digesting mussel soft tissue and extracting microplastics for analysis, finding that sodium hydroxide and enzymatic digestion both achieved high recoveries (~93%) while acid digestion damaged certain plastic types. The validated method provides a reliable protocol for monitoring microplastic contamination in commercially important bivalves.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics extraction from oyster tissue v1

Researchers developed and validated a protocol for extracting microplastics from oyster tissue, addressing the challenges of isolating plastic particles from a complex biological matrix that includes lipids, proteins, and mineral content. The method enables reliable quantification of microplastic contamination in bivalves — a widely consumed seafood and established bioindicator of coastal pollution — supporting standardised monitoring of microplastic uptake in marine food species.

2024
Article Tier 2

Combining microcavity size selection with Raman microscopy for the characterization of Nanoplastics in complex matrices

Researchers developed a method combining enzymatic digestion, filtration, and Raman microscopy with microcavity size selection to extract and identify nanoplastic particles from salt-water mussel tissues, enabling detection of nanoplastics in the presence of complex biological matrices.

2021 Scientific Reports 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano-plastics and their analytical characterisation and fate in the marine environment: From source to sea

Researchers reviewed the sources, environmental fate, organism interactions, and analytical detection methods for nano-sized plastic polymers in the marine environment, concluding that nanoplastics pose the greatest ecological risk among plastic size fractions and that standardized analytical protocols for nanoplastic characterization are urgently needed.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

The invisible pollutant in water: Nanoplastics in seafood

This review examines the emerging presence of nanoplastics in seawater and seafood, discussing how wild-caught seafood is particularly vulnerable to contamination and outlining the analytical challenges of detecting nanoscale particles in food matrices.

2024
Article Tier 2

Dietary exposure to microplastic via shellfish and the importance of the edible shellfish tissue measurements

This study highlighted shellfish as a major source of human dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, emphasizing the need for standardized analytical methods to enable comparable exposure assessments and risk characterizations across different countries and shellfish species.

2025
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nanoplastics size distribution in mussel tissues: first evidence, identification, and quantification in the nanogram range

Italian researchers used a highly sensitive mass spectrometry technique to detect and quantify both microplastics and nanoplastics in farmed mussels, finding plastic particles in every sample tested. Nanoplastics in the 20–200 nm range were present in substantial quantities, and the authors estimate that European seafood consumers could ingest over 2 milligrams of nanoplastics per year through mussel consumption alone. This is one of the first studies to directly quantify nanoplastics in a commonly eaten seafood, raising significant concerns about dietary exposure.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics impacting shellfish?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.

2024
Article Tier 2

Quantitative assessment of in vivo distribution of nanoplastics in bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum using reliable SERS tag-labeled nanoplastic models

Researchers developed SERS-labeled nanoplastic models to quantitatively track nanoplastic distribution in Manila clams, revealing size-dependent accumulation patterns across different tissues and providing a reliable method for studying nanoplastic bioavailability in bivalves.

2022 Nanoscale 34 citations
Article Tier 2

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL PROTOCOL FOR THE EXTRACTION OF SMALL MICROPLASTICS (1-5 µm) FROM BIOLOGICAL TISSUES

Researchers developed a novel extraction protocol to isolate and quantify small microplastics (1–5 µm) from biological tissues, addressing a major gap in marine contamination studies. The method improves detection of these hard-to-analyze particles, which are more likely to penetrate cells and accumulate in organisms.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
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

Microplastics Isolated From Shellfish Paratapes undulatus From Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia

Researchers isolated and characterized microplastics from the soft tissues of the shellfish Paratapes undulatus collected from Kuala Selangor, Malaysia, analyzing 30 samples for plastic type, shape, and size. The study documented the types of microplastics present in this commercially harvested bivalve, raising concern about human exposure through seafood consumption.

2022 3 citations
Article Tier 2

New Analytical Approaches for Effective Quantification and Identification of Nanoplastics in Environmental Samples

This review assessed new analytical approaches for quantifying and identifying nanoplastics in environmental samples, highlighting fundamental challenges in detection due to their small size and the need for improved methods to understand nanoplastic contamination levels.

2021 Processes 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of microplastic content in seafood: An integrated approach combined with the determination of elemental contaminants

Researchers developed and tested an integrated analytical approach combining multiple techniques to reliably detect and characterize microplastics in seafood. The method aims to provide more accurate and reproducible results for food safety assessments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic prevalence, diversity and characteristics in commercially important edible bivalves and gastropods in relation to environmental matrices

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and characteristics in the tissues of commercially important bivalves and gastropods from the southwest coast of India, finding MPs across all five species examined and raising concerns about seafood safety.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Methodology for microplastics quantification in clams

Researchers developed a simplified methodology for extracting and quantifying microplastics from clam tissue, addressing the need for standardized protocols to assess microplastic accumulation in seafood that poses direct human exposure risk when consumed whole.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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