Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 102 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 102 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, United States; Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 102 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
J Hazard Mater. 2024 Jan 15;462:132798. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132798. Epub 2023 Oct 16.
The migration of microplastics (MPs) from plastic food packaging has received increasing attention. Despite numerous studies quantifying MPs released from food packaging, there is lack of systematic investigation on migration of MPs from food packages under US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s guidance for food contact substances. Herein, we aimed to determine the quantity and size distribution of MPs migrating from water and food plastic containers following US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s guidance using Raman microscopy. Six commonly used water and food containers made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) were treated using distilled water and food stimulants (10% and 50% ethanol) under various conditions. A range of 23,702 to 490,330 particles per liter MPs with 77%- 92% smaller than 5 µm were detected, in which the PP food container exhibited the highest release of MPs when incubated with 50% ethanol at 130 °C for 15 min (equivalent to heating fatty food in a microwave). The temperature and food types were key attributes for elevating MP migration in general. Further comparison observed direct microwave (534,109 particles per liter) heating led to a significantly higher release of MPs compared to the FDA-suggested method (155,572 particles per liter). Part of MPs (12-63%) failed to be identified by Raman microscopy due to small particle size. Our estimation suggests that individuals might inhale up to 4511 MPs per kg per day. This research offers vital insights into MP migration from food and water containers, aiding in the development of relevant guidelines and facilitating MPs' risk assessment and management.
微塑料（MPs）从塑料食品包装中的迁移受到了越来越多的关注。尽管有大量研究量化了食品包装中释放的 MPs，但对于美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）食品接触物质指南下 MPs 从食品包装中的迁移，缺乏系统的调查。在此，我们旨在使用拉曼显微镜确定根据美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）的指导，从水和食品塑料容器中迁移出的 MPs 的数量和大小分布。使用拉曼显微镜，用蒸馏水和食品刺激物（10%和 50%乙醇）处理了六种常用的聚丙烯（PP）、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）、聚苯乙烯（PS）水和食品容器，在各种条件下进行处理。检测到每升 MPs 的数量范围为 23702 至 490330 个颗粒，其中 77%-92%小于 5 µm，其中当在 130°C 下用 50%乙醇孵育 15 分钟（相当于在微波炉中加热高脂肪食物）时，PP 食品容器释放的 MPs 最多。一般来说，温度和食物类型是提高 MPs 迁移的关键属性。进一步的比较观察到，与 FDA 建议的方法（每升 155572 个颗粒）相比，直接微波（每升 534109 个颗粒）加热导致 MPs 释放显著增加。由于 MPs 粒径较小，拉曼显微镜无法识别部分 MPs（12-63%）。我们的估计表明，个体每天可能会吸入多达 4511 个 MPs/kg。这项研究为 MPs 从食品和水容器中的迁移提供了重要的见解，有助于制定相关指南，并促进 MPs 的风险评估和管理。
