Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Abstract

Microplastic contamination was found in fish and chicken bought on the market, in food stores and in chain supermarkets in the Middle East with the contamination ranging from 0.03 ± 0.04 to 1.19 ± 0.72 particles per gram of meat in chicken and from 0.014 ± 0.024 to 2.6 ± 2.8 particles per gram in fish. Only one fish was found to be free of microplastic. The source of the microplastic was established to be the polythene-based plastic cutting board the food was cut on. More microplastic contamination was found in food cut from the bone than in cut fillets when the fillets themselves were prepared on surfaces other than plastic. Washing the fish and chicken before food preparation decreased but did not completely remove the microplastic contamination. The fate of the microplastic in grilled fish was studied. The mechanical properties of typical plastic cutting boards commercially used in the markets were investigated in the form of tensile, hardness, and wear tests. Overall, the plastic cutting boards showed similar wear rates.

Identification and Quantification of Microplastics Contamination in Potato from Malang Raya, Indonesia

“…The suspected microplastic contamination in potato chips comes from potato raw materials and organic fertilizer (Table 2), potato seeds and irrigation water/rainwater (Table 3), water in the process of making potato chips and cooking oil as an ingredient for frying the chips. The authors will report further on the identification and quantification of microplastic contamination in several cooking oil brands sold in the city of Malang, These findings supported previous research that food in several countries, including China [61,62], Ecuador [63], India [64], Indonesia [65,66], Mexico [67], Portugal [68], Turkey [31], and United Arab Emirates [69], was contaminated with MPs. The finding of MPs contamination in potatoes and potato chips in Malang Raya should be considered by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and the National Standardization Agencythe Republic of Indonesia (BSN) to improve food standards in Indonesia, especially in microplastic contamination parameters.…”

Testing of Different Digestion Solutions on Tissue Samples and the Effects of Used Potassium Hydroxide Solution on Polystyrene Microspheres

“…As a further digestive solution, 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) was used because it is a commonly used and very simple and effective digestion method for a wide variety of organic materials, like marine samples, animal tissue, and human tissue [ 18 , 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

Impact of Microplastics on the Ocular Surface

“…There is evidence of microplastics released from plastic food containers, disposable cups, and plastic tea filter bags [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Contamination of raw food via contact with plastic chopping boards has also been demonstrated [ 19 ]. Multiple factors such as heat and physical stress can influence the volume of microplastics shed from plastic materials.…”