Exploring the effect of microplastics on the main nutrient contents of highland barley seedlings using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Gang Liu, Zhaoxing Zhi, Qinru Ni, Yehao Zuo, Quanhong Ou

Journal: Environmental geochemistry and health 2025;47(8):319

PMID: 40670820

Abstract

Microplastics have been extensively detected in water bodies and terrestrial ecosystems, and crops grown in these environments represent a significant food source for human consumption. This study investigates the effects of three widely encountered microplastic types, namely polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), on the growth of highland barley (Hordeum vulgare var. coeleste Linnaeus) seedlings using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results show that the original FTIR spectra of the experimental groups are similar to those of the control group. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) and curve fitting results indicated that microplastics affected the structures of polysaccharides and proteins (such as glycosidic bonds and β-sheet structure) in highland barley seedlings. This study provides new insights for people to understand the impact of microplastics on the nutritional components of plants.

Address: School of Physics and Electronic Information, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650500, China.; School of Physics and Electronic Information, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650500, China. [email protected].; School of Physics and Electronic Information, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650500, China. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1007/s10653-025-02601-x

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02601-x

MeSH Terms: Hordeum, Seedlings, Microplastics, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared, Nutrients