Commercial bivalves contaminated with microplastics in Peru

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 

Are microplastics a threat to food security?

Last month I published a review article in the Journal of Food Science and Technology, entitled: Microplastics: an emerging threat to food security and human health. In this short review, I addressed the current state of art regarding microplastics contamination in food (mostly seafood and shellfish). I made an understanding of how microplastics could threat two of the four pillars of food security. Microplastic uptake pathways in humans (Fig. 1) are discussed and possible health implications are reviewed. 

Fig. 1. A model showing microplastics route from emission to human ingestion

I concluded that there is still knowledge gaps to be investigated in order to fully understand and quantify microplastic contamination impacts over food security and human health. 

I wanted to share my review with anyone that needed it, you can always request it from my ResearchGate account. 

References

De-la-Torre, G. E. (2019). Microplastics: an emerging threat to food security and human health. Journal of Food Science and Technology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13197-019-04138-1