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Microplastics in Agriculture and Food Science

Methods for Identification and Remediation

  • 1st Edition - February 27, 2025
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Pasquale Avino, Cristina Di Fiore, Stefano Farris
  • Language: English

Microplastics in Agriculture and Food Science: Methods for Identification and Remediation presents fundamental insights into the sources of microplastics and their impact on import… Read more

Description

Microplastics in Agriculture and Food Science: Methods for Identification and Remediation presents fundamental insights into the sources of microplastics and their impact on important agricultural, food, and environmental resources. Presenting insights into these highly related fields, this book is the first to enable cross- and multidisciplinary understanding and application.

Microplastics are tiny particles created during plastic production as well as those particles remaining when plastic degrades and breaks down. They are sometimes difficult to identify, and the methods for qualifying and classifying them are not always clear despite the importance of their recognition and remediation. With insights into analytical methods including the challenges, this book addresses microplastics from the farm to the food pyramid, highlighting the issues they raise and the options for removing them.

Written by a global team of experts, this volume contributes to further understanding and addressing of this increasing global challenge, and is an excellent resource for researchers in agricultural science, environmental science, and food science (particularly food chemistry and food packaging).

Key features

  • Presents analytical approaches for determining microplastics in food and agricultural settings and products
  • Classifies the different methodologies and comments on each to guide readers to the best one for each matrix option
  • Explores the widespread presence of microplastics worldwide and highlights their fate currently
  • Demonstrates the effects of microplastics both on human health and life, and on the environment

Readership

Researchers in agricultural science, environmental science, food science (food chemistry and food packaging), Researchers in materials science

Table of contents

Part I: The Contaminants of the 21st Century: An Introduction to Microplastics

1. Plastics in the Agricultural Field

2. Plastics in the Food Sector

3. Principle Plastic Polymers in Agricultural and Food Sectors

4. From Plastics to Microplastics

Part II: Analytical Methodologies for Microplastics Determination: between Limitations and Innovations

5. Sampling Methods for Microplastics Determination

6. Pre-treatment of Food and Agricultural Matrices for Microplastics Extraction

7. Analytical Methodologies for Qualification of Microplastics

8. Quantification of Microplastics: A Call for Method Harmonization

9. Polymer Solubilization: A Potential Solution for Microplastics Quantification

10. Quality Assurance and Quality Control: The Prevention of Airborne Contamination

Part III: Microplastics in agriculture

11. Microplastics Contamination in Soil

12. Microplastics Contamination in Crops

13. Artificial Crop Irrigation and Microplastics

14. Microplastics and Agricultural Vehicle Tires

15. Fertilizers and Microplastics Contamination of Crops

16. Atmospheric Particulates and Microplastics

Part IV: Microplastics in farm animals

17. Feed Production Process and Microplastics Contamination

18. Microplastics in Farm Animals: Health Effects

19. Microplastics: From Animal to Human

Part V: Microplastics in the food sector

20. Food Processing and microplastics

21. Food Packaging and Potential Microplastics Release

22. Food Pyramid and Microplastics

Part VI: Human exposure to microplastics

23. Are We Eating Microplastics?

24. Microplastics in Food Production and Agricultural Environments

Part VII: Contaminants associated with microplastics

25. Microplastics and plasticizers

26. Microplastics and organic contaminants

27. Microplastics and inorganic contaminants

Part IIX: Fate of microplastics and toxicological studies

28. Translocation of microplastics in human tissue

29. Microplastics and potential damage to human cells

30. 3-D models for studing microplastics effects on humans

Part IX: Additional Topics and Considerations

31. Use of agricultural products as bio-indicators

32. Potential solutions in the agriculture and food sector

33. Regulatory Gaps in Microplastics Field in food and agriculture sectors

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: March 26, 2025
  • Language: English

About the editors

PA

Pasquale Avino

Prof. Avino studies the development of innovative analytical methodologies for development and application of analytical and sampling methods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of chemical compounds (e.g., contaminants, pollutants, nutrients) in food, agricultural, biological and anthropogenic matrices. These studies are aimed at evaluating inorganic and organic species present at trace and ultra-trace levels in food and environmental (smoke, air, water and soil) matrices, as well as the evaluation of the environmental and human health risks related to the exposure/ingestion of such compounds. In 1998 he received both the “Group Achievement NASA Award” and the “Next Generation Award” ( 22nd International Symposium on Chromatography). He has also received the “Environmental Sapio” Award for his research in the environmental field and in particular in the atmospheric particulate matter problems. Prof. Avino is author and co-author of scientific publications including original papers published in national and international journals and books.
Affiliations and expertise
University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

CD

Cristina Di Fiore

Cristina Di Fiore is a Research Fellow at the University of Molise in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry. She obtained her Ph.D. in Science, Technologies and Biotechnologies of Food, working in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry. Precisely, her Ph.D. was based on the extraction and chemical determination of microplastics in several food matrices. She is the author of 26 articles, mainly focused on microplastic’s analyses, as well as on the development of analytical protocols for determination of several environmental pollutants.
Affiliations and expertise
University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

SF

Stefano Farris

Stefano Farris is Full Professor at the Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS) – University of Milan. His research focuses on the design and development of new high-performance materials using mainly biomacromolecules, by means of different approaches such as soft chemistry and nanotechnology. His research firstly deals with fundamental aspects to provide new suitable practical solutions, especially for the food packaging sector. This is accomplished by strong and fruitful collaborations with several industrial partners.
Affiliations and expertise
University of Milan, Milan, Italy

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