Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Rana Zeeshan Habib, Ruwaya Al Kindi, Feras Al Salem, Wajeeh Faris Kittaneh, Vijo Poulose, Syed Haris Iftikhar, Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad and Thies Thiemann ()
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Rana Zeeshan Habib: Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Ruwaya Al Kindi: Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Feras Al Salem: Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Wajeeh Faris Kittaneh: Department of Geology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Vijo Poulose: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Syed Haris Iftikhar: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
Thies Thiemann: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-13

Abstract: Microplastic contamination was found in fish and chicken bought on the market, in food stores and in chain supermarkets in the Middle East with the contamination ranging from 0.03 ± 0.04 to 1.19 ± 0.72 particles per gram of meat in chicken and from 0.014 ± 0.024 to 2.6 ± 2.8 particles per gram in fish. Only one fish was found to be free of microplastic. The source of the microplastic was established to be the polythene-based plastic cutting board the food was cut on. More microplastic contamination was found in food cut from the bone than in cut fillets when the fillets themselves were prepared on surfaces other than plastic. Washing the fish and chicken before food preparation decreased but did not completely remove the microplastic contamination. The fate of the microplastic in grilled fish was studied. The mechanical properties of typical plastic cutting boards commercially used in the markets were investigated in the form of tensile, hardness, and wear tests. Overall, the plastic cutting boards showed similar wear rates.

Keywords: microplastics; plastic cutting boards; food preparation; food contamination; wastewater (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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