Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic in the farm animal derived food chain: The silent contaminants from farm to fork

Researchers reviewed five years of studies on microplastic contamination in animal-derived foods — including milk, meat, and eggs — finding that plastics enter livestock through ingestion and breathing, then end up in products consumed by humans. Once ingested, plastic particles can damage cell structures including mitochondria and the nucleus, potentially disrupting the digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems.

2025 Indian Journal of Animal Health
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Farmed Animals—A Review

This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in farmed animals including fish, cattle, and poultry, finding that microplastics have been detected in their intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive organs. The particles disrupt gut bacteria, cause tissue damage, and carry toxic chemicals and pathogens. Since these animals are raised for human consumption, microplastics in livestock represent a direct pathway for plastic contamination to reach people through their diet.

2024 Microplastics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Livestock: Sources, Exposure Pathways, and Physiological Consequences

This review examined how microplastics enter livestock systems through contaminated soil, water, and feed, and assessed the resulting risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. The review highlights that livestock exposure pathways are numerous and that microplastic contamination of the food chain is a growing concern.

2024 Journal Of Advanced Zoology
Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics in Livestock Production: A Challenge for Animal Health and Sustainability

This review examines microplastic contamination in livestock production systems, summarizing evidence of microplastic presence in feed, water, and animal tissues, and discussing implications for animal health, food safety, and sustainability.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Pathways and Veterinary Health Implications of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Emerging Contaminants from a One Health Perspective

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter animal-based food products including milk, poultry meat, and eggs, and what this means for both veterinary and human health from a One Health perspective. Researchers found that these particles have been documented in various livestock products, but significant gaps remain in understanding contamination from raw, unprocessed sources. The study emphasizes the need for standardized detection methods and farm-to-fork monitoring to identify real contamination sources and develop effective control strategies.

2026 Veterinary Sciences
Article Tier 2

Connecting the Dots: Livestock Animals as Missing Links in the Chain of Microplastic Contamination and Human Health

This review highlights that farm animals are a missing link in understanding how microplastics move from contaminated soil and plants into the human food supply. Livestock can accumulate inhaled and ingested plastic particles, which may then transfer to people through meat, milk, and eggs. The authors call for standardized methods to measure microplastics in animal products to better understand this exposure pathway.

2024 Animals 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Threat of Food Contamination by Microplastics and its Influence on Safety and Human Perspective

Researchers reviewed how widespread plastic use across industry has made microplastic contamination of food a serious public health concern, with particles entering the food supply through environmental pathways including runoff, wastewater, and air. Addressing this threat requires tighter regulations, better food supply monitoring, and public education on exposure risks.

2025 International Journal of Advanced Science and Engineering
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastics in commercial meat: a comparison between raw and processed products

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in commercial meat products, comparing raw and processed forms to assess human dietary exposure. Microplastic particles were detected across multiple meat types, with processing steps influencing both the concentration and type of particles present.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastics in commercial meat: a comparison between raw and processed products

Researchers compared microplastic contamination in raw versus processed commercial meats, finding that processing steps can introduce or increase microplastic levels. The study highlights food processing as an underappreciated pathway for microplastic exposure in terrestrial animal products.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Review Tier 2

The sources and impact of microplastic intake on livestock and poultry performance and meat products: a review

This review examined how microplastics affect livestock and poultry health, productivity, and the safety of meat products. Researchers found that while lab experiments show microplastics can cause oxidative stress and inflammation at high concentrations, it remains unclear whether typical environmental exposure levels affect animal welfare or productivity. Microplastics were detected in animal tissues at levels that raise potential consumer safety concerns, though current detection methods are prone to contamination.

2025 Animal Production Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Food Contamination by Microplastics and Human Health Implications

This review examines how food is contaminated by microplastics throughout the supply chain — from agricultural soil and irrigation water to food processing and packaging — and evaluates the health implications for human consumers. The authors estimate dietary microplastic intake across food categories and identify seafood, drinking water, and packaged foods as the highest-exposure routes.

2024 Food Safety
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination of Dairy and Bakery Products: Sources and Effects on Human Health—A Review

This review examines how microplastics contaminate dairy and bakery products through packaging materials, processing equipment, and environmental exposure during production. Researchers found that these commonly consumed foods are increasingly vulnerable to microplastic contamination from multiple sources throughout the supply chain. The study highlights the need for more research into the long-term health effects of ingesting microplastics through everyday food products.

2025 Food Safety and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Food Products

This chapter reviews microplastic contamination in food products, tracing the pathways by which plastic particles enter the food supply from environmental contamination, packaging leaching, and food processing. The authors discuss health concerns associated with dietary microplastic exposure and the regulatory landscape around food safety.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the food chain

This review examines how microplastics enter and move through the food chain, posing risks to animal health, human wellness, and ecosystems. Researchers found that microplastic contamination has been extensively studied in aquatic environments and marine species, but significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their accumulation and impacts in agricultural soils and plant systems. The study calls for more research on soil microplastic contamination to reduce food chain hazards.

2024 Microplastics 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Emerging Food Contaminants: A Challenge for Food Safety

This review examines microplastics as an emerging contaminant in the food supply, covering how they enter the food chain, their characteristics, and the challenges of assessing their health risks. Researchers found that while microplastics have been detected in a wide range of food products, current scientific data is insufficient to complete a thorough risk assessment of dietary exposure. The study calls for standardized detection methods and more research to establish safe exposure thresholds for microplastics in food.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in milk and dairy products: Research quality, abundance, sources, and transfer mechanisms

Researchers systematically reviewed evidence on microplastic contamination in milk and dairy products, applying quality control scoring to assess data reliability across studies. They found widespread MP contamination in dairy products with packaging and processing environments as primary sources, though inconsistent methods make quantitative comparisons difficult.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Dairy Products: Occurrence, Characterization, Contamination Sources, Detection Methods, and Future Challenges

Researchers reviewed 17 studies on microplastic contamination in milk and dairy products and found concentrations ranging from undetectable to over 10,000 particles per kilogram, with baby milk powder showing the highest levels. The most common plastics found were polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, and polyester, including some types considered harmful to human health. The study highlights that dairy products are particularly susceptible to microplastic contamination from packaging, processing equipment, and the environment.

2025 Applied Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic pollution in breeding industry: Sources, distribution, impacts, and characterization techniques, mitigation strategies and future research directions

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in the breeding and livestock industry, covering sources, distribution patterns, and potential impacts on animal and human health through the food chain. Researchers identified key gaps in current understanding of how microplastics move through farming environments and accumulate in livestock. The study calls for more systematic research to help the industry develop strategies for preventing microplastic contamination.

2024 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic contamination in milk and dairy products

Researchers tested 28 dairy samples and found microplastics in all of them, with ripened cheese containing the highest levels at about 1,857 particles per kilogram, followed by fresh cheese and milk. The most common plastics found were PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene, likely coming from packaging materials, confirming that dairy products are another route of microplastic exposure for humans.

2025 npj Science of Food 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic contamination in livestock production: Entry pathways, potential effects and analytical challenges

This review evaluates how micro- and nanoplastics enter livestock production systems through plastic mulching, waste fragmentation, and water runoff. The study suggests that these plastic particles can accumulate in livestock animals and potentially transfer up the food chain, though standardized analytical methods and comprehensive studies on livestock health effects are still lacking.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Health Risks Associated with the Intake of Microplastics Found in Milk and Dairy Products

Researchers assessed health risks from microplastics found in various milk and dairy products, including conventional, organic, and raw varieties. They found that yogurts showed consistently higher associations with certain polymer contaminations, and strong correlations existed between microplastic concentration and exposure-related risk parameters. The study suggests that routine consumption of contaminated dairy products represents an emerging dietary exposure pathway for microplastics.

2025 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Food Chain

This review summarized current knowledge about microplastics in the food chain, from their origins in packaging and industrial products to their presence in seafood and other food items. Researchers noted that while marine organisms have been the primary focus of study, much less is known about microplastic contamination in other foods. The study concludes that the issue remains insufficiently examined and warrants more attention to protect public health.

2021 Life 246 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential risk assessment and toxicological impacts of nano/micro-plastics on human health through food products

This review examined the potential risks and toxicological effects of nano- and microplastics on human health through food products, identifying key contamination sources in the food chain and their harmful impacts on the body.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nano Plastics in the Food Chain: Challenges, Risks, and Future Directions

This review explores the presence of micro- and nanoplastics across the food chain, examining sources including packaging fragmentation and synthetic fiber shedding and assessing distribution from soil and water through crop plants, seafood, and processed foods to human consumers. The authors discuss health risks and the challenges of developing standardized analysis and regulatory standards for food-chain microplastic exposures.

2024 Journal of Food Chemistry and Nanotechnology 1 citations