Microplastic matrix interactome in food systems: a review

Microplastics are omnipresent environmental pollutants that are becoming increasingly recognized as a new emerging challenge in terms of food safety, owing to their prevalence in the entire food chain. This review provides a brief overview of the main sources of occurrence of microplastics, migration routes, methodologies of detection, interactions with food matrices, and possible impacts on human health in relation to microplastics in foodstuffs. Microplastics can be introduced into foods through contamination from the environment, food processing, packaging materials, and handling, thus resulting in an increased risk of dietary human exposure. The development of advanced analytical techniques has facilitated the identification and analysis of microplastics; however, the absence of standardized methods of sampling and analysis still hinders the accurate assessment of human exposure and comparison of results in different studies. Current research indicates the possible interactions of microplastics with biological systems, as well as their role as vectors of chemical and microbial contaminants, despite unclear health impacts of microplastics.