At second glance : the importance of strict quality control : a case study on microplastic in the Southern Ocean key species Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba

The stomach content of 60 krill specimens from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the presence of microplastic (MP), by testing different sample volumes, extraction approaches, and applying hyperspectral imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (mu FTIR). Strict quality control was applied...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science of The Total Environment
Main Authors: Primpke, Sebastian, Meyer, Bettina, Falcou-Préfol, Mathilde, Schütte, Wyona, Gerdts, Gunnar
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Antarctic krill
Euphausia superba
Microplastic
Southern Ocean
Quality control
FTIR
fatty acids
PLASTIC INGESTION
1ST EVIDENCE
ROSS SEA
CONTAMINATION
EXTRACTION
SEDIMENTS
PROTOCOL
BEHAVIOR
MUSSELS
FISH
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Krill
Ross Sea
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HXXW6R6Q8QJR17X17WKS7CC9
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01HXXW6R6Q8QJR17X17WKS7CC9
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170618
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HXXW6R6Q8QJR17X17WKS7CC9/file/01HXXZEZBVKQEV9B9BD4VK958D
Description
Summary:The stomach content of 60 krill specimens from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the presence of microplastic (MP), by testing different sample volumes, extraction approaches, and applying hyperspectral imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (mu FTIR). Strict quality control was applied on the generated results. A high load of residual materials in pooled samples hampered the analysis and avoided a reliable determination of putative MP particles. Individual krill stomachs displayed reliable results, however, only after re -treating the samples with hydrogen peroxide. Before this treatment, lipid rich residues of krill resulted in false assignments of polymer categories and hence, false high MP particle numbers. Finally, MP was identified in 4 stomachs out of 60, with only one MP particle per stomach. Our study highlights the importance of strict quality control to verify results before coming to a final decision on MP contamination in the environment to aid the establishment of suitable internationally standardized protocols for sampling and analysis of MP in organisms including their habitats in Southern Ocean and worldwide.

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