Microplastic contamination of packaged meat: Occurrence and associated risks

•Sub-millimetre-sized particles are observed on packed poultry meat.•The particles revealed by FTIR analysis are of the same chemical nature as the extruded polystyrene packaging.•These microplastics are likely to come from the XPS trays. Food trays are often made from extruded polystyrene (XPS), an...

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Published in:Food packaging and shelf life Vol. 24; p. 100489
Main Authors: Kedzierski, Mikaël, Lechat, Benjamin, Sire, Olivier, Le Maguer, Gwénaël, Le Tilly, Véronique, Bruzaud, Stéphane
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2020
Elsevier
Subjects:
Contaminant
dietary exposure
Extruded polystyrene
Fibres
food packaging
Human alimentation
Life Sciences
meat
Microplastics
Packaging
polystyrenes
risk factors
shelf life
trays
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Fibres
Packaging
Microplastics
Human alimentation
Extruded polystyrene
Contaminant
ISSN:2214-2894, 2214-2894
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:•Sub-millimetre-sized particles are observed on packed poultry meat.•The particles revealed by FTIR analysis are of the same chemical nature as the extruded polystyrene packaging.•These microplastics are likely to come from the XPS trays. Food trays are often made from extruded polystyrene (XPS), and quantities of millimetre-sized particles of this material are trapped between the meat they contain and the sealing film. The purpose of this study is to identify the chemical nature of these particles and quantify them. Furthermore, the quantification of synthetic or organic fibres was also carried out. The results show that XPS microplastics (MP-XPS) contaminate food products at a level ranging from 4.0 to 18.7 MP-XPS/kg of packaged meat. Analysis shows that these microplastics are likely to come from the XPS trays. These particles are difficult to remove by mere rinsing and are probably cooked before being consumed. However, at this stage, it is not clear from the scientific literature whether there is a potential risk to humans associated with the ingestion of MP-XPS. In addition to these MP-XPS, it should also be pointed out that fibres can also contaminate meat.
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ISSN:2214-2894
2214-2894
DOI:10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100489