Abundance of microplastics in the agro-industrial product beet sugar; food or plastifood

Abstract

Recently, microplastic contamination in various foodstuffs ranging from natural aquatic products to industrial products has begun to be revealed. While actual exposure data are needed in food safety and health to demonstrate the potential risks and effects of microplastics (MPs), this information is still limited for most foods. Foods such as table sugar, which are produced by processing in many industrial processes as well as being an agricultural product, are susceptible to MP contamination during the processing and packaging stages. This study aims to draw attention to the sources of MP contamination in agro-industrial products and reveal the risks of exposure through sugar consumption, with specific investigations into table sugar. For this purpose, 19 store-bought sugars (beet) of different types (crystal, cube and powdered) were analyzed. Optical microscope, Nil red staining-fluorescence microscope, SEM (Scanning Electron microscope) and ATR-FT-IR (Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR)) analyzes were performed on the samples taken on the filter after peroxide treatment and filtration processes. Average 29110 MPs/100g was detected in sugars and the most common MP type was in fragment form. Various polymer structures such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester (PES), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), acrylic derivatives, additives, pigments, and paints were detected. The most detected MP color in sugars containing a colorful MP cocktail is black (29.2%). This is followed by blue shades, white-transparent, red, yellow-orange and others. Microplastic intake rates from crystal sugars are 857 particles/capita/day and 196 particles/capita/day for children and adults, respectively. Microplastic contamination factor (MPCF) values demonstrate a very high level of contamination of sugars with MPs. The prioritization assessment for sources of MPs in sugars indicates that production processes can be a significant source of pollution.