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Assessing microplastic contamination in milk and dairy products
E Visentin1, G Niero2, F Benetti3
1Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy.
NPJ Science of Food
|July 10, 2025
Summary
Microplastics are prevalent in dairy products like milk and cheese, with ripened cheese showing the highest contamination. This study quantifies microplastic levels and types, emphasizing the need for further research into dairy contamination pathways.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Food Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Growing concern over microplastic (MP) presence in food.
- Limited data on MP contamination in dairy products compared to water and seafood.
- Potential health risks associated with MP ingestion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize and quantify microplastics in milk, fresh cheese, and ripened cheese.
- To determine the polymer composition and physical characteristics of MPs in dairy products.
- To assess the concentration of MPs across different dairy product types.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 28 dairy samples (milk, fresh cheese, ripened cheese).
- Qualitative and quantitative characterization of MPs.
- Fourier-transformed infrared micro-spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) mode used for identification and quantification.
- Size, shape, and color of MPs analyzed.
Main Results:
- Microplastics were detected in all analyzed dairy products.
- Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was the most common polymer, followed by polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
- Most MPs were smaller than 150 μm, predominantly irregular fragments and grey particles.
- Ripened cheese had the highest MP concentration (1857 MP/kg), followed by fresh cheese (1280 MP/kg) and milk (350 MP/kg).
Conclusions:
- Dairy products are widely contaminated with microplastics.
- Ripened cheese shows the highest levels of microplastic contamination among the studied products.
- Further research is needed to understand contamination sources and develop mitigation strategies within the dairy supply chain.
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