Papers

61,005 results
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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

Microplastic extraction protocols can impact the polymer structure

Researchers found that common laboratory extraction protocols used to isolate microplastics from environmental samples can alter the polymer structure of the particles, potentially skewing identification and quantification results.

2021 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 79 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 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

Microplastics in seafood: Benchmark protocol for their extraction and characterization

Researchers developed a benchmark protocol for extracting and characterizing microplastics from seafood samples, providing standardized methods to improve consistency and comparability across studies measuring human dietary exposure.

2016 Environmental Pollution 894 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

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

Binary Solvent Extraction of Microplastics from Complex Environmental Matrix.

Researchers tested a two-solvent extraction method for isolating microplastics from complex environmental matrices. An efficient extraction technique is important for accurately detecting and quantifying microplastics in samples like sediment and biological tissue that contain many other organic and inorganic compounds.

2023
Article Tier 2

Solving a Sticky Situation: Microplastic Analysis of Lipid-Rich Tissue

Researchers developed and validated an optimized protocol for extracting and analyzing microplastics from lipid-rich biological tissues, addressing the challenge that standard enzymatic digestion methods leave fatty residues that interfere with microplastic detection and quantification.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Developmentof Standardized Methods to Extract andDigest Microplastics in Environmental Samples

Researchers reviewed and compared extraction and digestion methods for isolating microplastics from environmental samples, finding that the lack of standardization across techniques is a major barrier to producing comparable results and calling for validated universal protocols.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

A protocol to prevent plastic contamination during sample collection of cadaveric tissues v1

Researchers developed a standardized protocol to minimize plastic contamination when collecting cadaveric tissue samples for microplastic research, providing specific decontamination and extraction guidelines for internal fluids, soft tissue, and body orifice linings to improve cross-study comparability.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A high-performance protocol for extraction of microplastics in fish

Researchers developed and tested a high-performance protocol for extracting microplastics from fish tissue, achieving high recovery rates and providing a standardized approach for seafood contamination monitoring.

2016 The Science of The Total Environment 689 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

A novel extraction protocol of nano-polystyrene from biological samples

Researchers developed a diatomite-based extraction protocol for isolating nano-polystyrene from biological samples, providing a method to quantify nanoplastics in tissues that had previously lacked reliable analytical tools.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

A new analytical approach for monitoring microplastics in marine sediments

Researchers developed a new analytical approach for monitoring microplastics specifically in marine sediments, improving extraction and identification steps to enable more reliable and standardized environmental monitoring of seafloor contamination.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1349 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

Patent method for the extraction and determination of micro- and nano- plastics in organic and inorganic matrix samples: An application on vegetals

Researchers developed and patented an extraction method for micro- and nanoplastics from both organic and inorganic matrices, demonstrating its application on plant material to address the critical gap in reliable isolation techniques for particles smaller than 10 micrometers.

2020 MethodsX 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental development of a new protocol for extraction and characterization of microplastics in fish tissues: First observations in commercial species from Adriatic Sea

Researchers developed and tested a new protocol for the extraction and characterization of microplastics from environmental samples, optimizing steps for recovery efficiency and polymer identification accuracy.

2015 Marine Environmental Research 768 citations
Article Tier 2

A rapid method for extracting microplastics from oily food samples

Researchers developed a rapid method for extracting microplastics from oily food samples, addressing a key challenge for detecting plastic contamination in foods like fish that contain high fat content. Standardized extraction methods for oily food matrices are needed to accurately assess dietary microplastic exposure.

2022 Analytical Methods 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Morphological and chemical characterization of nanoplastics in human tissue

Researchers developed methods to visualize and chemically characterize nanoplastics that have accumulated in human tissue samples. They were able to identify plastic particles smaller than one micrometer within tissue using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The study provides some of the first direct evidence of nanoscale plastic accumulation in the human body, which is essential for designing future health effects research.

2025 2 citations
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

Isolation and Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples: An Evaluation of Practical Approaches and Recommendations for Further Harmonization

Isolation and extraction methods for microplastics from environmental samples were evaluated and compared, tracing the evolution of methodologies from early studies in the 1970s to current approaches. The review identified persistent inconsistencies in extraction efficiency across methods as a major obstacle to comparing microplastic contamination data across studies and locations.

2020 Applied Spectroscopy 200 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

Extracting and characterizing microplastics and nanoplastics from environmental samples

Researchers developed a standardized four-step extraction method for isolating and characterizing microplastics and nanoplastics from diverse environmental samples, encompassing predigestion, density separation, postdigestion, and postdensity separation steps to improve cross-study comparability.

2025 Nature Protocols 2 citations