The mussel Aulacomya atra, also known as "choro", is one highly consumed bivalve species of commercial importance. The second most consumed after the Peruvian scallop Argopecten purpuratus. A. atra is commonly served fresh and eaten as a whole, thus presenting a higher chance of microplastic ingestion.
We investigated the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in A. atra from fishery markets in three Peruvian provinces: Huarmey, Lima and Pisco (Fig. 1).
Fig.1 Map of the three Peruvian provinces. S1: Huarmey, S2: Lima and S3: Pisco
Results indicated that microplastics were ubiquitous in A. atra from fishery markets. Microplastics of different sizes, shapes and colors were found and recorded (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 Microplastics found in A. atra. A: Red microbead, B: Blue fiber, C: White fragment, D: Green line, and E: White film. Scale bar indicated 1 mm.
This is the first evidence of microplastic contamination in A. atra. The presence of microplastics in the last step of the supply chain confirms that the Peruvian population are subject to microplastic intake through contaminated seafood. Further research must continue surveying markets and fishery markets aiming to contribute to the microplastic human intake estimation.
This manuscript is currently under review by the Journal of Food Science and Technology, once it gets published, I will make sure to share the research entirely. Questions regarding this research, feel free to send me an email: gabriel.e.dltp@gmail.com
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