Occurrence of Microplastics in Most Consumed Fruits and Vegetables from Turkey and Public Risk Assessment for Consumers

Abstract

Microplastics are transferred to humans through the food chain by consuming food contaminated with microplastics. However, the knowledge about the risks of dietary exposure for humans to these particles is very limited. Moreover, only a few studies on microplastic pollution in fruit and vegetables have been carried on. Thus, this study aims to investigate the presence of microplastics in some of the most consumed fruits and vegetables (pear (Pyrus communis), apple (Malus domestica), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), onion (Allium cepa), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus)) from Turkey and to evaluate the potential risk for consumers. Fruits and vegetable samples were purchased from different markets and fruiterer (two of each) in Muğla province, Southwest of Turkey. Microplastic extraction processes were carried out on the edible parts of the samples. According to the results obtained, a total of 210 particles (2.9 ± 1.6 particle g−1) were detected in all samples. Any significant difference occurred among the different markets. The maximum average amount of microplastic was determined in tomato samples (3.63 ± 1.39 particle g−1). The highest microplastic intake was with tomato (398,520 particles individual−1 year−1 for Estimated Annual Intake (EAI) and Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) for children 68.24 particles kg−1 day−1). The occurrence of microplastics of big size, that are not allowed to pass by plant xylem transport, suggests that fresh vegetables and fruits can be contaminated with plastic, especially during the production phase, during agricultural activities and during the marketing process (transport to the market and purchasing process).

Assessing the inconsistency of microplastic measurements in foods and beverages

“…Aydin et al. (2023) acquired three samples of each fruit and vegetable from four distinct markets in Muğla/Turkey.…”

“…(2020) and Aydın et al. (2023) investigated the presence of MPs in various fruits and vegetables. In this paper, only the common fruits and vegetables that the two publications examined were evaluated: apple ( Malus domestica ), pear ( Pyrus communis ), and potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum ).…”

“…Apple, pear, and potato contained 3.1 ± 1.2, 3.1 ± 1.3, and 1.5 ± 1.6 MPs/g, respectively, and the size of 86% of MPs was smaller than 1 mm. In addition, the result of ATR‐FTIR showed that PE (60%), PP (20%), and PET (20%) were the most prevalent polymer types in the samples (Aydın et al., 2023).…”

“…Aydın et al. (2023) explained the disparity by pointing out that Conti et al. (2020) also examined the possible presence of nanoplastics in the samples.…”

“…It was understood that there was a difference of approximately 5 decimals between the results of the studies. Aydın et al (2023) explained the disparity by pointing out that Conti et al (2020) also examined the possible presence of nanoplastics in the samples. Although Conti et al (2020) focused on particles smaller than 10 um in their study, the smallest particle size (1.56 µm) was not in the nanometer range.…”