Microplastics contamination in food products: Occurrence, analytical techniques and potential impacts on human health

Chemically, microplastics (MPs) are synthetic materials composed of plastic monomers and additives and vary in size from 0.1-5,000 μm. Due to their chemical stability and the widespread use of plastics for various purposes, MPs pollution of the environment has increased dramatically, leading to the contamination of daily consumer products as well. Although previous studies have reported the environmental impacts of MPs, only a few studies have highlighted the occurrence of MPs in food products and their possible effects on human health. Recent investigations have identified MP particles in drinking water and other beverages, seafood, plant products, salt, sugar, and honey, raising an alarm over the safety and quality of these food items. Ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact of such food and other consumer goods are the common routes through which MPs may enter the human body and can have several deleterious health impacts including oxidative stress, inflammation, immunotoxicity, increased risk of neoplasia, cellular metabolism impairment, neurotoxicity, gut microbiome dysbiosis, disruption of reproductive system among others. A collective approach employing source control, recycling, biodegradable plastics, strengthening legislation, and bioremediation could be a promising and sustainable solution to control the MPs pollution. The key challenge appears to standarize detection methods along with reducing the MPs contamination from the food products as well as from the environment. Therefore, this review focuses on the occurrence of MPs in several food products, current methods of analysis, potential health impacts, and strategies to mitigate the widespread MPs pollution. It also adds novel findings, knowledge gaps, and recommendations that can guide future research in this field.