Development of Optimal Digesting Conditions for Microplastic Analysis in Dried Seaweed Gracilaria fisheri

Currently, research on the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the marine food web is being highlighted. An accurate and reliable digestion method to extract and isolate MPs from complex food matrices has seldom been validated. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of MP isolation among enzyma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Foods 2021-09, Vol.10 (9), p.2118
Main Authors: Prihandari, Rizky, Karnpanit, Weeraya, Kittibunchakul, Suwapat, Kemsawasd, Varongsiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
Algae
Cellulase
Digestion
Efficiency
enzymatic digestion
Enzymes
Food chains
Food contamination & poisoning
Food products
Food science
Food webs
Gracilaria
Gracilaria fisheri
High density polyethylenes
High polymers
Hydrogen peroxide
Methods
Microplastics
oxidative digestion
Plastics
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polymers
Polystyrene resins
Polyvinyl chloride
Potassium
Raman spectroscopy
Recovery
Seaweeds
Sodium
Spectroscopy
vegetal tissue
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Summary:Currently, research on the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the marine food web is being highlighted. An accurate and reliable digestion method to extract and isolate MPs from complex food matrices has seldom been validated. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of MP isolation among enzymatic-, oxidative-, and the combination of two digestion methods on red seaweed, Gracilaria fisheri. The dried seaweed sample was digested using three different methods under various conditions using enzymes (cellulase and protease), 30% H2O2, and a combination of enzymes and 30% H2O2. The method possessing the best digestion efficiency and polymer recovery rate of MPs was selected, and its effect on spiked plastic polymer integrity was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. As a result, the enzymatic method rendered moderate digestion efficiency (59.3–63.7%) and high polymer recovery rate (94.7–98.9%). The oxidative method using 30% H2O2 showed high digestion efficiency (93.0–96.3%) and high polymer recovery rate (>98%). The combination method was the most effective method in terms of digestion efficiency, polymer recovery rate, and expenditure of digestion time. The method also showed no chemical changes in the spiked plastic polymers (PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET) after the digestion process. All the spiked plastic polymers were identifiable using Raman spectroscopy.
ISSN:2304-8158
2304-8158
DOI:10.3390/foods10092118