1. MECHANICAL GRINDING OF SPICES IN GRINDERS WITH POLYMERIC BURRS AND TRANSFER OF MICROPLASTICS TO FOOD.
- Author
-
Zbucki, Łukasz and Plażuk, Ewa
- Subjects
- *
PEPPER (Spice) , *SCANNING electron microscopy , *MICROPLASTICS , *MECHANICAL wear , *PLASTICIZERS - Abstract
Background. Nowadays, researchers are alarming that our everyday food products may be contaminated with plastics during the processing and packaging process. Plastic polymers and harmful chemical additives, such as plasticizers, dyes or modifiers, may enter our body along with food in the form of microplastic particles and cause harm to human health. Risk assessment of microplastics in food products is still at an early stage due to the heterogeneity of research and methodology. Material and methods. The present study analyzed the abrasion of plastic particles from several different Himalayan salt and black pepper grinders with burrs made of polymers using FT-IR and SEM techniques. Results. The study confirms the effect of the polymers used on the amount of microplastic released as well as the rate of wear of the grinder burrs from the ground spice. Conclusions. However, determining the impact of using such devices on human health requires further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF