Methodology Approach for Microplastics Isolation from Samples Containing Sucrose

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety

Background:

• Plastic production leads to microplastic (MP) environmental contamination.
• Human exposure to MPs occurs mainly through ingestion via contaminated food and beverages.
• Efficient isolation of MPs from food matrices is crucial for risk assessment and mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine optimal conditions for isolating microplastics from sucrose solutions.
• To evaluate the impact of temperature, acid type, and concentration on MP isolation efficiency.
• To establish a reliable method for MP analysis in food products.

Main Methods:

• Testing separation methods using polyethylene particles in sucrose solutions.
• Employing chemical digestion with acids and filtration through various membrane filters (nylon, mixed cellulose ester, cellulose acetate) with pore sizes of 0.8 and 10 µm.
• Analyzing the effects of temperature and acid parameters using scanning electron microscopy and µ-Raman spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Increased temperature decreased solution viscosity and sucrose adherence to MPs.
• Higher acid concentrations accelerated sucrose hydrolysis, aiding MP separation.
• Optimal isolation conditions identified: 5% HCl at 70°C for 5 minutes, followed by efficient membrane filtration.
• The optimized method demonstrated high MP recovery and fast filtration without altering particle surface properties.

Conclusions:

• Established optimal conditions for microplastic isolation from sucrose-based food simulants.
• The developed method provides a reliable basis for quantifying microplastic contamination in food.
• This research contributes to improving analytical techniques for microplastic analysis in the food industry.