Evaluation of Microplastic Contamination in Table Sugar: What Does Sugar Have Besides Its Sweetness?

Abstract

This study evaluates microplastic (MPs) contamination in table sugar packaged in sachets consumed in 24 countries, 18 from Europe, five from America, and one in Asia, emphasizing the ubiquity of MPs in food products. The samples were obtained in a sampling effort involving several people. 100 samples of 3 g of sugar were analyzed (3 replicates each) in a stereoscope with and attached camera, revealing a 100% contamination rate, with 3977 MPs particles identified. Filaments (56.63%) predominated over fragments (43.37%), with blue and black particles being the most frequent. Polymer analysis using Raman spectroscopy identified polyurethane (PU—predominant), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) as the main types of MPs. Considering estimated dietary intake (EDI) values calculated by EDI = (SgC × MPp)/SM, Brazil and the USA ranked as the countries with the highest levels of total MPs intake. These findings highlight sugar as an important pathway for dietary exposure to MPs, raising critical concerns about the risks to human health and food safety. Regulatory interventions and improved processing protocols are imperative to mitigate MP contamination in sugar and other widely consumed processed foods.

Keywords

microplastic ingestion / table sugar / food hazard / human health / raman spectroscopy

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