Bioaccumulation of additives and chemical contaminants from environmental microplastics in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Herrera, Alicia; Acosta-Dacal, Andrea; Luzardo, Octavio P.; Martínez, Ico; Rapp, Jorge; Reinold, Stefanie; Montesdeoca-Esponda, Sarah; Montero, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153396

Cited by 47 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Although the great number of MP detected in our insect meal sample, it is important to point out that the effects of MP on insects and other animals such as fish are still the subject of active research and the long-term consequences are not fully known. Potential effects include physical damage, impaired feeding and digestion, and the possible transfer of chemicals associated with plastic [18,48,[53][54][55].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meal: A Valid Analytical Method to Detect It

Rimoldi,

Ponti,

Valsesia

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background. Escalating global plastic production, expected to reach 34,000 million tons by 2050, poses a significant threat to human and environmental well-being, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP), which originate from the degradation of plastics, are of concern due to their potential bioaccumulation and uptake of pollutants. This study addresses identification methods and focuses on insect meal, a raw material for aquaculture feed. Methods. By using different techniques, the study was able to detect MP and NP in insect meal samples. Chemical digestion with KOH at 60°C efficiently removed organic matter without affecting the synthetic polymer polyethylene (PE). Filtration, confocal Raman microscopy, SEM and TEM were used for comprehensive analysis and integrity tests on PE films were performed using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed the presence of PE microplastic particles in the insect meal, which was confirmed by correlative Raman and SEM mapping on a positively charged surface. In addition, the increased resolution of the Raman microscope identified submicrometric PE NP (800 nm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed plastic-like structures in the insect meal, highlighting the presence of PE plastics characterized by irregular shapes and some agglomeration. The higher carbon concentration in the EDX analysis supported the plastic nature, which was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Conclusions. The study provides a robust method for the detection of MP and NP in insect meal and provides valuable insight into the possible presence of plastics in insect-based aquafeeds. The combination of different analytical methods increases the reliability of the results and sets the stage for future investigations that could focus on the quantification of NP and the assessment of their potential environmental impact.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meal: A Valid Analytical Method to Detect It

Rimoldi,

Ponti,

Valsesia

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although a great number of MPs were detected in our insect meal sample, it is important to point out that the effects of MP on insects and other animals, such as fish, are still the subject of active research and the long-term consequences are not fully known. Potential effects include physical damage, impaired feeding and digestion, and the possible transfer of chemicals associated with plastic [18,49,[54][55][56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meals

Rimoldi,

Ponti,

Valsesia

et al. 2024

Environments

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Background: Escalating global plastic production, expected to reach 34,000 million tons by 2050, poses a significant threat to human and environmental well-being, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP), which originate from the degradation of plastics, are of concern due to their potential bioaccumulation and uptake of pollutants. This study addresses identification methods and focuses on insect meal, a raw material for aquaculture feed. Methods: By using different techniques, the study was able to detect MP and NP in insect meal samples. Chemical digestion with KOH at 60 °C efficiently removed organic matter without affecting the synthetic polymer polyethylene (PE). Filtration, confocal Raman microscopy, SEM, and TEM were used for comprehensive analysis, and integrity tests on PE films were performed using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed the presence of PE microplastic particles in the insect meal, which was confirmed by correlative Raman and SEM mapping on a positively charged surface. In addition, the increased resolution of the Raman microscope identified submicrometric PE NP (800 nm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed plastic-like structures in the insect meal, highlighting the presence of PE plastics characterized by irregular shapes and some agglomeration. The higher carbon concentration in the EDX analysis supported the plastic nature, which was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Conclusions: The study provides a robust method for the detection of MP and NP in insect meal and provides valuable insight into the possible presence of plastics in insect-based aquafeeds. The combination of different analytical methods increases the reliability of the results and sets the stage for future investigations that could focus on the quantification of NP and the assessment of their potential environmental impact.

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“…It has been reported that the intake of these pollutants triggers several consequences, such as intestinal damage in fish and invertebrates [ 6 ]. Other adverse effects such as a reduction in food consumption and energy imbalance in fish and crustaceans [ 7 ] or facilitation of the allocation of toxic pollutants to the body were also reported [ 8 ]. For example, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a brominated flame retardant is used as an additive in some plastic products, such as furniture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sublethal Biochemical Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and TBBPA in Experimentally Exposed Freshwater Shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus

Ríos

Attademo

Horie

et al. 2023

Biology

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The biochemical effects of sublethal exposure to polyethylene microplastics (PEM) of 40–48 µm particle size and the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a plastic additive, on the freshwater shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus were assessed. Here, we postulate that the use of enzyme and thyroid hormones as biomarkers contributes to the knowledge of the effects of microplastics and plastic additives on freshwater crustaceans. To address this, we evaluated the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and carboxilesterase (CbE, using 1-naphthyl acetate (NA) as substrate) and levels of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) after shrimp were exposed (for 96 h) to these xenobiotics at environmentally realistic concentrations. The results showed that the mixture of both xenobiotics led to a decrease in AChE and GST activities and increased T4 levels. We suggest that physiological processes could be compromised in freshwater organisms when exposed to microplastics and TBBPA together, and this could ultimately affect upper levels of the food web.

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Bioaccumulation of additives and chemical contaminants from environmental microplastics in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Cited by 47 publications

References 76 publications

Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meal: A Valid Analytical Method to Detect It

Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meal: A Valid Analytical Method to Detect It

Detection of Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Insect Meals

Sublethal Biochemical Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and TBBPA in Experimentally Exposed Freshwater Shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus

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