Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Enhancing food safety and cultivated meat production: exploring the impact of microplastics on fish muscle cell proliferation and differentiation

Researchers investigated how microplastic contamination affects fish muscle cells used in cultivated meat production. They found that polystyrene microplastics impaired the ability of fish cells to grow and develop into muscle tissue, even at relatively low concentrations. The findings raise concerns about microplastic interference in both lab-grown seafood production and the safety of sourcing cells from marine organisms already exposed to plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Food Science and Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Cell-cultivated aquatic food products: emerging production systems for seafood

This review examines cell-cultivated seafood, a new approach to producing fish protein by growing fish cells in a lab rather than catching or farming fish. One potential benefit is avoiding the microplastic contamination found in wild and farmed fish, since the production environment can be controlled. As concerns grow about microplastics accumulating in seafood, lab-grown alternatives could offer a way to reduce human exposure to microplastics through diet.

2024 Journal of Biological Engineering 14 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus , two Mediterranean commercial fish species

Researchers collected actual marine litter (not lab-made microplastics) from the Northern Adriatic Sea and tested its toxicity on cells from two commercially caught fish species. Real marine microlitter caused significant cell damage and inflammation, including effects not seen with pristine lab-grade microplastics. This suggests that studies using only clean, standardized plastic particles may underestimate the true toxicity of environmental microplastics.

2021
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 study of the occurrence and potential risks of microplastics in fish and shellfish of Hong Kong

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in nine commercial fish and shellfish species from Hong Kong and found plastic particles in both organ and flesh samples. Mussels had the highest microplastic content in edible flesh, with polystyrene and polyethylene being the dominant polymer types. Cell-based toxicity testing showed that microplastics from certain species caused increased intestinal cell death and hemolytic activity, indicating potential health risks from seafood consumption.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

This study exposed primary cell cultures from Mediterranean commercial fish — European hake and red mullet — to real marine microlitter collected from coastal waters, finding cytotoxic effects in immune and mucosal tissues. Importantly, both fish species had ingested plastics including HDPE and polypropylene, providing evidence that environmental (not just laboratory) microplastic contamination harms marine food fish.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Synthetic Microfibers on Cellular and Biochemical Biomarkers in Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Scientists found that tiny plastic fibers from clothing and fishing gear can harm mussels by damaging their cells and disrupting important body functions, even at pollution levels currently found in our oceans. This matters because mussels filter water and are eaten by humans, so plastic pollution that harms these shellfish could also affect the safety of seafood we consume. The study shows that microplastic pollution is already at levels that can damage marine life we depend on for food.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics contamination in commercial fish meal and feed: a major concern in the cultured organisms

Researchers analyzed commercial fish meal and animal feed samples and found microplastics in all of them, with fish meal containing up to 1,154 particles per kilogram. The contaminated feed is given to farmed fish, shrimp, and chicken, creating a pathway for microplastics to reach humans through the food supply. Feed made from dried fish had higher contamination levels than feed from fresh fish, and the microplastics also carried toxic heavy metals.

2024 Chemosphere 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity assessment of pollutants sorbed on microplastics using various bioassays on two fish cell lines

Researchers collected microplastic samples from ocean expeditions and tested their toxicity using two fish cell lines, finding that cell lines differed in sensitivity and that microplastics with sorbed pollutants were toxic to cells. The results suggest that real-world microplastics carrying accumulated chemical pollutants pose a chemical toxicity risk to marine organisms beyond just the physical effects of ingesting plastic.

2016 Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
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

Polystyrene nanoplastics in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

This study investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics affect Mediterranean mussels, an important marine species and human food source. Researchers found that these tiny plastic particles can cross cell membranes, accumulate in tissues, and trigger oxidative stress and immune responses. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution in the ocean could affect both marine ecosystem health and the safety of seafood consumed by people.

2023 Environmental Pollution 40 citations
Article Tier 2

An inverse cell culture model for floating plastic particles

Scientists developed an "inverse cell culture" model using floating plastic particles to better simulate how marine organisms interact with buoyant microplastics, addressing a technical challenge in lab-based toxicity testing. This novel experimental approach could improve the relevance of in vitro studies for understanding real-world microplastic exposures.

2019 Analytical Biochemistry 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and ecological risk of microplastics in different mariculture feeds

Researchers found microplastics in all 23 types of mariculture (ocean fish-farming) feeds tested, averaging over 5,400 particles per kilogram, with sea cucumber feeds showing the highest contamination. The findings reveal that farmed seafood may be ingesting microplastics not just from the environment but directly from their food supply, raising food safety concerns.

2025 Water Cycle
Article Tier 2

Global Insights into Cultured Meat: Uncovering Production Processes, Potential Hazards, Regulatory Frameworks, and Key Challenges—A Scoping Review

This review examines the production process and potential health hazards of lab-grown cultured meat, including contamination risks from microplastics in growth media and packaging materials. The findings suggest that while cultured meat may reduce some environmental impacts of traditional farming, new food safety risks including microplastic contamination need careful regulation.

2025 Foods 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating Cellular Effects of PET Microplastics in 2D/3D Models: Methodological Considerations of Reagent Interference

Researchers assessed the cellular effects of PET microplastics using both 2D and 3D cell culture models and found dose- and cell-type-dependent reductions in viability along with rapid generation of reactive oxygen species. The study highlights significant methodological challenges, as microplastics can interfere with common lab assays through light scattering, dye adsorption, and surface interactions, potentially producing misleading results without appropriate controls.

2026
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

Cellular effects of microplastics are influenced by their dimension: Mechanistic relationships and integrated criteria for particles definition.

Researchers exposed mussels to five different size classes of polyethylene microplastics and found that the smallest particles (20-50 micrometers) caused the most biological damage, including immune system changes and increased oxidative stress. The study provides experimental evidence that microplastic size matters significantly when assessing health risks. This is important for human health assessments because it suggests that the smallest microplastic particles, which are also the hardest to filter out of food and water, may be the most harmful.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Impacts on Seafood: A Global Synthesis of Experimental Findings

This systematic review synthesizes experimental findings on how microplastics affect commercially important seafood species worldwide. It finds that microplastic ingestion can impair growth, reproduction, and immune function in seafood organisms, with potential implications for both food safety and the fishing industry.

2026 Fish and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Effect of size continuum from nanoplastics to microplastics on marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposure scenarios

Researchers compared the effects of nanoplastics versus microplastics on marine mussels using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, finding that smaller plastic particles caused greater cellular and physiological impacts across the size continuum.

2022 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Is cell culture a suitable tool for the evaluation of micro- and nanoplastics ecotoxicity?

This review assessed cell culture as a tool for evaluating micro- and nanoplastic ecotoxicity in aquatic organisms, identifying its advantages for high-throughput screening while noting limitations related to relevance to whole-organism and ecosystem-level effects.

2021 Ecotoxicology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Food safety considerations in the advancement of cultured meat: Evaluating novel ingredients

This commentary on cultured meat (lab-grown meat) includes a brief but notable section on microplastics as an emerging food safety concern for the technology, noting that plastic scaffolding materials and other production inputs could introduce microplastics into the final product. The paper also addresses cell culture media, fetal bovine serum alternatives, and regulatory gaps more broadly. While not primarily a microplastics study, it raises the underexplored question of whether cultured meat could become a new dietary route of microplastic exposure.

2025 Future Foods 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the physiological effects of microplastics on cultured mussels in the Mediterranean Sea

Researchers combined laboratory experiments with computer modeling to assess how microplastics affect farmed Mediterranean mussels. They found that while microplastics reduced the mussels' ability to filter food, the overall impact on growth over a mussel's lifetime was relatively small under current pollution levels. However, the study suggests that in areas with higher microplastic concentrations, the effects on mussel farming could become more significant.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The Negative Impact of Microplastics on the Safety of Fish Raw Materials and Seafood

This review examined how microplastic exposure harms fish and seafood at multiple levels—blocking digestive tracts, injuring tissues, causing oxidative stress, disrupting immune function, and enabling the transfer of toxic additives—with implications for seafood safety.

2025 VESTNIK OF THE BASHKIR STATE AGRARIAN UNIVERSITY
Article Tier 2

Histopathological analysis of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis after foodborne exposure to three sizes of polystyrene nanoplastics: Relevance of confounding factors.

Scientists fed tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) to mussels through their food to see if it caused health problems, since mussels are good indicators of ocean health and people eat them. The plastic particles did cause some tissue damage and inflammation in the mussels, but other factors like reproductive cycles and parasites had bigger effects on their health. This suggests that short-term exposure to small amounts of nanoplastics may not be as harmful as previously thought, though longer studies are still needed to understand the risks to both marine life and humans who eat seafood.

2026 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety