UBC Researchers Develop New Device to Measure Microplastic Levels in Coffee
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have created a portable device that can detect microplastics in drinks and other liquids affordably.
Tianxi Yang, the developer of the tool, stated in a UBC news release that microplastics pose a significant threat to food safety, health, and the environment. Detecting them inexpensively could help decrease their danger.
Microplastic particles can form when items like plastic cups or utensils break down, releasing the material into food or drinks that could be consumed or absorbed by the body.
Yang’s team’s device utilizes a wireless digital microscope, green LED light, and an excitation filter to examine liquid samples smaller than a drop, making any microplastics in them glow.
In a recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Sensors, the device was tested on boiled distilled water that had been in disposable polystyrene cups for 30 minutes.
The tests revealed that the cups released hundreds of millions of polystyrene particles into the water, each about one hundredth the width of a human hair or smaller.
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Yang, an assistant professor in the faculty of land and food systems, mentions that each test costs about 1.5 cents.
The UBC release states that the device is currently set to detect polystyrene but could also identify other types of plastics like polyethylene or polypropylene.
It claims that the results are easily understandable, whether by a technician in a food processing lab or by someone simply curious about their morning cup of coffee. The researchers aim to make the device commercially available for analyzing plastic particles in real-world scenarios.
