Microplastic contamination in canned fish sold in Türkiye

PeerJ. 2023 Jan 18:11:e14627. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14627. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in processed seafood is a growing concern. In this study, 33 different canned fish brands belonging to seven producers were purchased from the Turkish market and investigated. MPs composition, possible sources, and potential intake were assessed. Light microscopy was used to quantify potential MPs, and micro-Raman microscopy was used to identify the polymer types. The results showed that all the samples had at least one MPs particle, and fragments were the most abundant (57.3%) shape of MPs. Polyolefin (21.88%) was the most common polymer type. The results showed that packaging and the production processes are the main possible sources of MPs. Human intake estimation risk is relatively lower since canned fish consumption is relatively low. The findings suggest that the risk related to MPs in canned fish should be considered one of the components of food safety management systems.

Keywords: Canned fish; Food safety; Human intake; Microplastics; Turkish market.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Microplastics*
  • Plastics*
  • Seafood / analysis

Substances

  • Microplastics
  • Plastics

Grants and funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received in support of this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.