Assessment of Micro plastics Level in Selected Commercial Fish Feeds Sold in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria

Okpala-Ezennia KP, Akinrotimi OA, Ikechukwu CC, Ayaobu-Cookey IK, Anwuri PA and Mbadugha IG

Published on: 2026-02-05

Abstract

This research assessed the level of microplastics in some commercial fish feeds sold in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria. Fish feed samples were collected from commercial vendor in Awka and analyzed at Alpha Research Laboratory, Awka. Three different brands of feed, comprising 1 kg each of starter and finisher feed, were examined. They were labelled as Treatment A and Treatment C (both indigenous feeds), and Treatment B (a foreign feed). Standard laboratory materials were used in the microplastic detection process. Before analysis, strict quality control measures were implemented to ensure accuracy. One-way ANOVA was used to determine significant differences among the feed samples, and Tukey HSD post-hoc tests were performed to separate the means at a 5% significance level. The results revealed that Treatment C had the highest microplastic abundance in both starter and finisher feeds, with concentrations of 9182 ± 1.53 and 9401 ± 2.65 particles/kg, respectively. The average length of microplastics was highest in Treatment A, recording 509 ± 1.00 µm in starter feed and 522 ± 2.65 µm in finisher feed. Significant color variations were observed, with white particles predominantly high in Treatment C. Morphological analysis identified the presence of filaments, pellets, films, foams, and fibers, with fiber being most abundant in Treatment A (58.25 ± 1.70 in starter feed). Polymeric analysis detected common polymers such as nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) across the feed types. This study revealed that all sampled fish feeds were slightly contaminated with microplastics, there is need to constantly monitor the levels of micoplastics in these feeds to minimize   environmental and health issues.