Evidence of microplastic contamination in the food chain: an assessment of their presence in the gastrointestinal tract of native fish
Main Article Content
Keywords
bioaccumulation, ecosystem health, ingestion, pollution, rivers Swat and Kabul
Abstract
This research study focused on the primary freshwater surface sources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Pakistan—Swat and Kabul rivers. The study aimed to assess microplastic (MP) contamination of fish in the Swat and Kabul rivers. Understanding this contamination is vital for evaluating the environmental and health risks associated with consuming contaminated fish and contributing to the ongoing conservation efforts. The study’s objective was to investigate the presence of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) of fish and to delineate the identified MP types. Samples of local dominant fish (Schizothorax plagiostomus [Swatay] and Racoma labiata [Chunr], Cyprinus carpio [Common Carp], and Clupisoma naziri [Sher Mayai]) were collected, and their body weight and length assessed to gauge the overall health. The GIT samples were processed, digested and filtered before microscopic examination to detect MPs. Subsequently, the identified MPs were subjected to attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for characterization by analyzing their absorption bands. Results of the study showed the presence of MPs in fish samples, predominantly identified as polyethylene (PE), with polypropylene (PP) being the subsequently prevalent plastic type, which manifested fish contamination with MPs. The study revealed MP pollution in both Swat and Kabul rivers, with fish ingesting these particles. This poses potential health risks for fish and health of the ecosystem.
References
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Akhtar T., Ghazanfar A., and N. Shafi N. 2021. Length-weight relationships, condition factor and morphometric characteristics of schizothoracinae from Neelum and Jhelum rivers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Pak J Zool. 53(1): 351. 10.17582/journal.pjz/20180216090213
Akram MB, Khan I, Rahman M, Sarwar A, Ullah N, Rahman S, et al. 2023. Mycoremediation of Heavy Metals Contaminated Soil by Using Indigenous Metallotolerant Fungi. Polish J Chem Tech. 25(3): 1–13. 10.2478/pjct-2023-0019
Andrady A.L. 2015. Persistence of plastic litter in the oceans. In: Bergmann M., Gutow L., Klages M. (eds). Marine Anthropogenic Litter. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 57–72. 10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_3
Arthur C., Baker J., and Bamford, H. 2009. Proceedings of the international research workshop on the occurrence, effects, and fate of microplastic marine debris. In: NOAA Marine Debris Program (eds). University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA. Technical memorandum NOS-OR&R-30. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/2509
Barboza L.G.A., Vethaak A.D., Lavorante B.R., Lundebye A.K., and Guilhermino L. 2018. Marine microplastic debris: an emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health. Mar Pollut Bull. 133: 336–348. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.05.047
Bellas J., Martínez-Armental J., Martínez-Cámara A., Besada V., and Martínez-Gómez C. 2016. Ingestion of microplastics by demersal fish from the Spanish Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Mar Pollut Bull. 109(1): 55–60. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.026
Boerger C.M., Lattin G.L., Moore S.L., and Moore C.J. 2010. Plastic ingestion by planktivorous fishes in the North Pacific Central Gyre. Mar Pollut Bull. 60(12): 2275–2278. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.08.007
Dehaut A., Cassone A.L., Frère L., Hermabessiere L., Himber C., Rinnert E., et al. 2016. Microplastics in seafood: benchmark protocol for their extraction and characterization. Environ Pollut. 215: 223–233. 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.018
Geyer R., Jambeck J.R., and Law K.L. 2017. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Sci Adv. 3(7): e1700782. 10.1126/sciadv.1700782
Hidalgo-Ruz V., Gutow L., Thompson R.C., and Thiel M. 2012. Microplastics in the marine environment: a review of the methods used for identification and quantification. Environ Sci Technol. 46(6): 3060–3075. 10.1021/es2031505
Hussain A., Qazi J.I., Shakir H.A., Mirza M.R., and Nayyer A.Q. 2009. Length-weight relationship, meristic and morphometric study of Clupisoma naziri from the river Indus, Pakistan. Punjab Univ J Zool. 24(1–2): 14–25.
Jahnke A., Arp H.P.H., Escher B.I., Gewert B., Gorokhova E., Kühnel D., et al. 2017. Reducing uncertainty and confronting ignorance about the possible impacts of weathering plastic in the marine environment. Environ Sci Technol Lett. 4(3): 85–90. 10.1021/acs.estlett.7b00008
Jambeck J.R., Geyer R., Wilcox C., Siegler T.R., Perryman M., Andrady A., et al. 2015. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science. 347(6223): 768–771. 10.1126/science.1260352
Khan BN, Ullah H, Ashfaq Y, Hussain N, Atique U, Aziz T, et al. (2023). Elucidating the effects of heavy metals contamination on vital organ of fish and migratory birds found at fresh water ecosystem. Heliyon. 26;9(11): e20968. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20968
Kühn S., Van Oyen A., Booth A.M., Meijboom A., and Van Franeker J.A. 2018. Marine microplastic: preparation of relevant test materials for laboratory assessment of ecosystem impacts. Chemosphere. 213: 103–113. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.09.032
Law K.L., and Thompson R.C. 2014. Microplastics in the seas. Science. 345(6193): 144–145. 10.1126/science.1254065
Leslie H.A., Van Velzen M.J., Brandsma S.H., Vethaak D., Garcia-Vallejo J.J., and Lamoree M.H. 2022. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environ Int. 163: 107199. 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
Lusher A.L., Mchugh M., and Thompson R.C. 2013. Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 67(1–2): 94–99. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.11.028
Naveed, M., Naveed, R., Aziz, T. Iqbal F, Hassan A, Saleem A, et al. 2023a. Exploring the potential application of peroxidase enzyme from Acinetobacter baumannii as an eco-friendly agent for the bioremediation of the highly noxious pyrethroid compounds through molecular docking analysis. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 2023: 1–9. 10.1007/s13399-023-05160-2
Naveed M, Makhdoom SI, Rehman SU, Aziz T, Bashir F, Ali U, et al. 2023b. Biosynthesis and Mathematical Interpretation of Zero-Valent Iron NPs Using Nigella sativa Seed Tincture for Indemnification of Carcinogenic Metals Present in Industrial Effluents. Molecules. 28(8): 3299. 10.3390/molecules28083299
Napper I.E., and Thompson R.C. 2019. Marine plastic pollution: other than microplastic. In: Letcher T.M., and Vallero D.A. Waste (Second Edition). Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Academic Press, pp. 425–442. 10.1016/B978-0-12-815060-3.00022-0
Plastics Europe. 2019. Plastics—the facts 2019: an analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data. Plastics Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
Rochman C.M. 2018. Microplastics research—from sink to source. Science. 360(6384): 28–29. 10.1126/science.aar7734
Rochman C.M., Tahir A., Williams S.L., Baxa D.V., Lam R., Miller J.T., et al. 2015. Anthropogenic debris in seafood: plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption. Sci Rep. 5(1): 1–10. 10.1038/srep14340
Saeed R., Feng H., Wang X., Zhang X., and Fu Z. 2022. Fish quality evaluation by sensor and machine learning: a mechanistic review. Food Control. 137: 108902. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108902
Sanchez W., Bender C., and Porcher J.M. 2014. Wild gudgeons (Gobio gobio) from French rivers are contaminated by microplastics: preliminary study and first evidence. Environ Res. 128: 98–100. 10.1016/j.envres.2013.11.004
Su L., Xue Y., Li L., Yang D., Kolandhasamy P., Li D., & Shi H. 2016. Microplastics in Taihu Lake, China. Environ. Pollut, 216: 711–719.
Xiong J., Wen D., Zhou H., Chen R., Wang H., Wang C., et al. 2022. Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in yogurt and milk in central-eastern China and the risk of exposure in milk consumers. Food Control. 137: 108928. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108928
Xu M., Ni X., Liu Q., Chen C., Deng X., Wang X., et al. 2024a. Ultra-high pressure improved gelation and digestive properties of Tai Lake whitebait myofibrillar protein. Food Chem X. 21: 101061. 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.101061
Xu M., Liu Q., Ni X., Chen C., Deng X., Fang Y., et al. 2024b. Lipidomics reveals the effect of hot-air drying on the quality characteristics and lipid oxidation of Tai Lake whitebait (Neosalanx taihuensis Chen). Food Sci Technol (LWT). 197: 115942. 10.1016/j.lwt.2024.115942
Yu Z., Xu X., Guo L., Yuzuak S., and Lu Y. 2024. Physiological and biochemical effects of polystyrene micro/nano plastics on Arabidopsis thaliana. J Hazard Mater. 469: 133861. 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133861
Wang W., Xu J., Zhang W., Glamuzina B., and Zhang X. 2021. Optimization and validation of the knowledge-based traceability system for quality control in fish waterless live transportation. Food Control. 122: 107809. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107809
Welden N.A., and Lusher A.L. 2017. Impacts of changing ocean circulation on the distribution of marine microplastic litter. Integ Environ Assess Manag. 13(3): 483–487. 10.1002/ieam.1911
World Health Organization (WHO). 2019. Microplastics in drinking-water. WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Zameer M, Tahir U, Khalid S, Zahra N, Sarwar A, Aziz T, et al. (2023). Isolation and characterization of indigenous bacterial assemblage for biodegradation of persistent herbicides in the soil. Acta Biochim Pol. 31;70(2): 325–334. 10.18388/abp.2020_6563
Zhang Y., Xiao X., Feng H., Nikitina M.A., Zang X.,., and Zhao Q. 2023. Stress fusion evaluation modeling and verification based on noninvasive blood glucose biosensor for live fish waterless transportation. Front Sustain Food Syst. 7: 1172522. 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1172522
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Jul 1, 2024
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Hayat, M., Khan, B., Iqbal, J., Nauman Ahmad, M., Khan, A. A., Haq, T.- ul, Aziz, T., & Albekairi, T. H. (2024). Evidence of microplastic contamination in the food chain: an assessment of their presence in the gastrointestinal tract of native fish. Italian Journal of Food Science, 36(3), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.15586/ijfs.v36i3.2532
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How to Cite
Hayat, M., Khan, B., Iqbal, J., Nauman Ahmad, M., Khan, A. A., Haq, T.- ul, Aziz, T., & Albekairi, T. H. (2024). Evidence of microplastic contamination in the food chain: an assessment of their presence in the gastrointestinal tract of native fish. Italian Journal of Food Science, 36(3), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.15586/ijfs.v36i3.2532