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A group of French researchers has concluded that cork stoppers may be the main protective element against microplastics in glass wine bottles. The study, published in May in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, analysed contamination levels in a series of drinks and their packaging sold on French soil.

Microplastics are present in all environments and have even been detected in humans. Due to their small size, human exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion or even penetration through the skin. Contamination of food and drink is quite common and can come from absorption by edible organisms or packaging.

A team of researchers from Boulogne-sur-Mer in France focused their study on the potential influence of packaging on the contamination levels of wine and other drinks sold in the country. The packaging analysed included tetra-pak, bag-in-box, glass bottles and plastic bottles.

The results showed that glass containers were more contaminated than other types of packaging in all drinks, except for wine, a difference attributed to the use of cork stoppers instead of screw caps. Most of the microplastics isolated from the glass bottles had the same colour as the paint used on the outer layer of the capsule, which led to the hypothesis that these particles could have originated from the closure itself.

This study was carried out by a team from the SANAQUA Unit, the Universities of Littoral Côte d'Opale, the INRAE Institute, the University of Lille, the University of Picardie Jules Verne , the University of Liège and the School of Engineering at Junia.