Papers

61,005 results
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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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Marine mammals and microplastics: A systematic review and call for standardisation

Microplastics were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of marine mammals in all but one of 30 studies reviewed, with 0-88 particles per animal, and were detected in pinniped scat in 8 of 10 studies, though considerable methodological inconsistencies make cross-study comparisons difficult.

2020 Environmental Pollution 235 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

Overview of global status of plastic presence in marine vertebrates

A review of 112 studies on plastic ingestion by marine vertebrates (sea turtles, cetaceans, fish) found widespread occurrence across species and ocean regions, with methodological inconsistencies preventing reliable global comparisons and underscoring the need for standardized protocols.

2020 Global Change Biology 118 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

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

Recommended best practices for plastic and litter ingestion studies in marine birds: Collection, processing, and reporting

This paper proposed standardized best practices for sampling, processing, and reporting plastic ingestion in marine birds, aiming to improve consistency across studies and enable meaningful large-scale comparisons.

2019 FACETS 147 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
Article Tier 2

Quantifying ingested debris in marine megafauna: a review and recommendations for standardization

This review examined published methods for quantifying ingested plastic debris in marine megafauna — including whales, turtles, and sharks — and found wide variation in reporting practices. The authors propose standardized protocols for sample collection, processing, and data reporting to enable meaningful comparisons across species and regions.

2016 Analytical Methods 473 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

Protocol for extraction and analysis of microplastics in freshwater, sediment, and fish samples

Researchers developed a standardized protocol for extracting and identifying microplastics from freshwater, sediment, and fish digestive system samples, combining chemical digestion, density separation, vacuum filtration, and Raman spectroscopy to enable reliable, reproducible analysis across aquatic sample types.

2025 STAR Protocols 4 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

Identifying Microplastic Contamination in Marine Biota

This study developed and evaluated methods for identifying microplastic contamination in marine biota, comparing visual sorting, spectroscopic, and chemical digestion approaches for extracting and confirming plastic particles from tissue samples.

2024
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 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

Ingestion of microplastic debris by green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Great Barrier Reef: Validation of a sequential extraction protocol

Researchers developed and validated a sequential extraction protocol for recovering microplastics from green sea turtle intestinal contents, finding microplastics in turtles from the Great Barrier Reef. The validated method enables more consistent and accurate assessment of microplastic contamination in sea turtles, which are both ecologically important and frequently exposed to marine debris.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory?

Researchers examined whole digestive tracts of 50 stranded marine mammals from 10 UK species and found microplastics in every animal (mean 5.5 particles). The low numbers and predominance in stomachs versus intestines suggest particles are largely transitory rather than accumulating permanently in marine mammal guts.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Methods for sampling, processing, identification,and quantification of microplastics in the marine environment

This paper reviews and compares the various methods used to collect, process, identify, and quantify microplastics across different environmental samples. It highlights the lack of standardized protocols as a major obstacle to comparing results across studies and calls for methodological harmonization.

2020 Oceanography in Japan 12 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

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

Methodology optimization to quantify microplastic presence in planktonic copepods, chaetognaths and fish larvae

Researchers optimized a hydrogen peroxide digestion method for extracting and counting microplastics from zooplankton and fish larvae while preserving the physical and chemical integrity of the plastic particles, achieving over 85% recovery across 13 plastic types. Having a reliable, standardized method for quantifying microplastics in plankton is essential for accurately assessing how much plastic is entering marine food webs at the base of the food chain.

2023 MethodsX 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory?

Researchers examined the entire digestive tracts of 50 stranded marine mammals from 10 species around the British coast and found microplastics in every single animal. However, the relatively low particle counts suggest that microplastics may pass through the gut rather than accumulate permanently. The findings indicate that microplastic ingestion is ubiquitous among marine mammals, though the long-term health consequences remain unclear.

2019 Scientific Reports 367 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasibility Study on Biomonitoring of Microplastics in Fish Gastrointestinal Tracts

This feasibility study assessed using fish gastrointestinal tracts as biomonitors for environmental microplastic contamination, evaluating sampling protocols, species selection, and analytical methods to establish standardized biomonitoring frameworks for marine plastic pollution.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 25 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