About this ebook
The primer brings together current understanding of microplastics as a food-related issue, covering their generation and release, detection, behavior, and occurrence in foods and food-contact environments. Rather than providing an exhaustive review of all microplastic research, the primer focuses on concepts and evidence most relevant to food safety, analytical interpretation, and exposure assessment. Its novelty lies in this integrated, food-system-oriented perspective, which remains underrepresented in existing texts that often treat food as a secondary endpoint rather than a central focus.
The motivation for this primer arose from our own work in food safety and environmental analysis. In navigating the literature, we encountered inconsistent definitions of microplastics, wide variation in analytical approaches, and reported concentrations that were difficult to compare across studies. These challenges are not unique to newcomers; they also affect experienced researchers, regulators, and practitioners attempting to interpret findings or design monitoring strategies. The primer aims to provide the type of integrated reference that we ourselves found lacking when entering the field.
The purpose of this primer is to provide a clear, practical foundation for readers working in food science, analytical chemistry, environmental science, and related fields, as well as for those encountering microplastics in food for the first time. The goal is not to prescribe specific methods or regulatory positions but to support informed reading of the literature, clarify the strengths and limitations of commonly used approaches, and explain why reported results can differ substantially between studies. By doing so, the primer seeks to improve transparency and consistency in the interpretation and discussion of microplastic data in food-related contexts.
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About the author
Adeel Rafiq is a doctoral researcher at University College Dublin, Ireland, specializing in microplastics detection and analysis in waste management systems. His current research focuses on developing advanced analytical methods using Py-GC-MS and LDIR for microplastics characterization in complex environmental matrices, with the goal of establishing standardized protocols for monitoring microplastic contamination across waste treatment facilities. He previously received his Ph.D. in Environmental Technology from King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand (2025), where he conducted life cycle assessments of carbon capture and utilization technologies. He holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Civil Engineering from Kyungpook National University, South Korea (2020), and a B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from Agriculture University Faisalabad, Pakistan (2017). His future research aims to integrate microplastics fate modelling with life cycle assessment frameworks to evaluate the environmental impacts of microplastic pollution in circular economy systems.
Junli Xu is an Associate Professor in the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering at University College Dublin. She established the Spectral AI Research Group in 2022, which currently comprises eight Ph.D. candidates, one postdoctoral researcher, and two research assistants. Her multidisciplinary research integrates spectral imaging technologies with advanced data analytics, including machine learning and deep learning, to address complex challenges across food systems, environmental monitoring, geology, and human health. Dr. Xu has secured approximately €3.8 million in competitive research funding as PI, including an ERC Starting Grant and the SFI−IRC Pathway Programme, supporting her pioneering work on microplastics and human health. In 2024, she hosted the international microplastics and human health conference (bit.ly/IC-PlasticHealth), which brought together 230 delegates from diverse disciplines. Her laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art analytical infrastructure for micro- and nanoplastic characterisation, including LDIR, Py-GC-MS, and AFM−SNOM−Raman systems. Her group provides microplastic measurement and characterization services to both academic and industrial partners.
