Bovine milk and microplastics: Revealing the invisible with advanced microscopy

I. González-Puetate; D. Pinela Castro; G. M. Carpio Zorrilla; M. K. Moreno Verdesoto; M. d. C. Zambrano Guerra; P. P. Cedeño Reyes; C. Marín-Tello; J. Vásquez-Kool; D. Yánez-Avalos

doi:10.30972/vet.3628605

Autores

I. González-Puetate Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9930-0617
D. Pinela Castro Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0237-7916
G. M. Carpio Zorrilla Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9039-0182
M. K. Moreno Verdesoto Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3442-8959
M. d. C. Zambrano Guerra Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9104-6929
P. P. Cedeño Reyes Universidad de Guayaquil. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5976-5225
C. Marín-Tello Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. 2Grupo de investigación en Fisiología y Fisiopatología del Metabolismo de Alimentos en la Ruta de la Investigación Nutricional (MARINUTRI) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6862-1805
J. Vásquez-Kool Department of Health, Human and Life Sciences Shaw University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0858-4907
D. Yánez-Avalos Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam. Conservation and Global Health Research Group https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9306-3489

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30972/vet.3628605

Palavras-chave:

Livestock, contamination, polymer, animal milking products

Resumo

This study assessed the presence of microplastics (MP) in bovine milk marketed in Ecuador, considering milk type, packaging material, and the analytical methodology employed. A total of 35 samples of raw, whole, and semi-skimmed milk packaged in Tetra Pak, plastic pouches, or sold unpackaged were analyzed. Samples were subjected to direct observation (DO), density separation with supersaturated saline solution (SSS), filtration (FSSS), and chemical digestion with 10% NaOH (CD). Raw, unpackaged milk exhibited the highest MP concentrations (241.05 ± 66.18 MP L⁻¹), significantly exceeding those found in semi-skimmed (115.14 ± 24.21 MP L⁻¹) and whole milk (65.83 ± 14.19 MP L⁻¹), suggesting that industrial processing may partially reduce contamination. Unpackaged milk also showed higher MP levels compared to milk in Tetra Pak (92.38 ± 20.56 MP L⁻¹) and plastic pouches (88.60 ± 19.66 MP L⁻¹), indicating a protective effect of packaging. Among analytical methods, DO yielded the highest apparent MP concentrations (390.86 ± 48.48 MP L⁻¹), while SSS, SSSF, and CD reported lower values. CD, corroborated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), was found to be the most sensitive and reliable technique due to reduced interference. In conclusion, raw and unpackaged milk contained significantly higher levels of MPs, potentially due to factors such as contaminated feed and deteriorated milking equipment. These findings highlight the need to reinforce sanitary control during production, improve processing and packaging practices, and standardize analytical methodologies to ensure dairy safety and protect public health.

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