Do Microplastics Enter Our Food Chain Via Root Vegetables? A Raman Based Spectroscopic Study on Raphanus sativus

Sammanfattning

The outburst of plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems poses a potential threat to agriculture and food safety. Studies have already provided evidence for the uptake of plastic microparticles by several plant species, accompanied by numerous developmental effects, using fluorescence labelling techniques. Here, we introduce the implementation of confocal Raman spectroscopy, a label-free method, for the effective detection of microplastics (MPs) accumulation in the roots of a common edible root vegetable plant, Raphanus sativus, after treatment with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) powder. We also demonstrate the concomitant occurrence of phenotypic defects in the polymer-treated plants. We anticipate that this work can provide new insights not only into the extent of the impact this widespread phenomenon has on crop plants but also on the methodological requirements to address it.

Nyckelord

label-free; microscopy; detection; plastic; pollution; environment; edible; crop plants; ABS

Publicerad i

Materials
2021, volym: 14, nummer: 9, artikelnummer: 2329
Utgivare: MDPI

SLU författare

• Moschou, Panagiotis Nikolaou

  • Institutionen för växtbiologi, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    
  • Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH)
  • Πανεπιστήμιο Κρήτης

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG2 Ingen hunger
SDG3 God hälsa och välbefinnande

UKÄ forskningsämne

Miljövetenskap

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092329

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/112032