The authors compared procedures for digestion of mussel soft tissues and extraction of microplastics. Complete tissue digestion was achieved with 1M NaOH, 35% HNO3 , and protease at 9.6 UHb/mL (unit hemoglobin per mL); but use of HNO3 caused unacceptable destruction of some microplastics. Recovery of microplastics spiked into mussels was similar (93 ± 10%) for NaOH and enzyme digestions. The authors recommend use of industrial enzymes based on digestion efficiency, microplastic recovery, and avoidance of caustic chemicals. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:947-951. © 2016 SETAC.
Keywords: Emerging pollutants; Environmental toxicology; Enzymatic digestion; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR); Microplastics; Mussels.
© 2016 SETAC.