Changes in Microplastic Particles and the Biochemical Composition of Blood Cockles, Anadara granosa, During Five-day Depuration

Date Received: Jul 11, 2025

Date Accepted: Nov 10, 2025

Date Published: Dec 31, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31817/vjas.2025.8.4.05

Views

23

Download

19

Issue: Vol. 8 No. 4 (2025): Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Section:

ANIMAL SCIENCE – VETERINARY MEDICINE – AQUACULTURE

How to Cite:

Tran, N., Tam, N., Tuan, V., Ha, N., Thuong, N., Hoa, D., … Tu, N. (2025). Changes in Microplastic Particles and the Biochemical Composition of Blood Cockles, Anadara granosa, During Five-day Depuration. Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 8(4), 2723–2732. https://doi.org/10.31817/vjas.2025.8.4.05

Changes in Microplastic Particles and the Biochemical Composition of Blood Cockles, Anadara granosa, During Five-day Depuration

Nguyen Thi Thao Tran 1 , Nguyen Thanh Tam 1 , Vo Van Tuan 1 , Nguyen Ngoc Ha 2 , Nguyen Phuc Thuong 1 , Dang Thi Thanh Hoa 1 , Nguyen Thi Bach Mai 1   , Nguyen Phuc Cam Tu (*) 1

  • Corresponding author: [email protected]
  • 1 Faculty of Fisheries, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City 71300, Vietnam
  • 2 Faculty of Biological Sciences, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City 71300, Vietnam

    • Keywords

    Anadara granosa, blood cockle, depuration, microplastic, proximate composition

    Abstract


    Depuration is a widely used post-harvest technique to reduce contaminants in shellfish. However, its effects on the nutritional quality of blood cockles (Anadara granosa) in the removal of microplastics (MPs) are not well understood. This study aimed to assess the changes in the biochemical composition of cockle meat during a five-day MP depuration process. Cockles were subjected to a controlled depuration protocol, with samples collected at day zero, three, and five for analyses of MP abundance and biochemical composition. Standard methods were used to determine the MPs, proximate composition (including ash, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates), and mineral content (Ca, Mg, P, and Fe). The results showed that the five-day depuration period effectively reduced the mean MP load by 71.6%. The process removed larger MPs and films, resulting in a higher relative abundance of smaller MPs (<500µm) and fibers. However, this process resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the biochemical composition of the cockles. By day five, the contents of biochemical composition had declined significantly. These findings demonstrate that while depuration is an effective process for reducing MP contamination in A. granosa, it decreases the nutritional quality.

    References

    Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1997). Official Method of Analysis of AOAC International. (1 and 2). Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Gaithersburg, MD, USA. 1061 pages.

    Bayne B. (1973). Aspects of the metabolism of Mytilus edulis during starvation. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research. 7: 399-410. DOI: 10.1016/0077-7579(73)90061-6.

    Beaman J., Bergeron C., Benson R., Cook A.-M., Gallagher K., Ho K., Hoff D. & Laessig S. (2016). State of the Science White Paper: A Summary of Literature on the Chemical Toxicity of Plastics Pollution to Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

    Birnstiel S., Soares-Gomes A. & da Gama B. A. P. (2019). Depuration reduces microplastic content in wild and farmed mussels. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 140: 241–247. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.044.

    Covernton G. A., Dietterle M., Pearce C. M., Gurney-Smith H. J., Dower J. F. & Dudas S. E. (2022). Depuration of anthropogenic particles by Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas): Feasibility and efficacy. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 181: 113886. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113886.

    Dao T.-S., Lai D.-M.-T., Nguyen Q.-H., Pham A.-D., La X.-T., Tran A.-T. & Bui X.-T. (2023). Investigation on microplastics in some bivalves at Binh Dien Market in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 1278(1): 012029. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/1278/1/012029.

    DuBois M., Gilles K. A., Hamilton J. K., Rebers P. A. & Smith F. (1956). Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances. Analytical Chemistry. 28(3): 350-356. DOI: 10.1021/ac60111a017.

    Fernández B. & Albentosa M. (2019). Insights into the uptake, elimination and accumulation of microplastics in mussel. Environmental Pollution. 249: 321-329. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.037.

    Fitri S. & Patria M. P. (2019). Microplastic contamination on Anadara granosa Linnaeus 1758 in Pangkal Babu mangrove forest area, Tanjung Jabung Barat district, Jambi. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1282(1): 012109. DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1282/1/012109.

    Folch J., Lees M. & Stanley G. H. S. (1957). A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 226(1): 497-509.

    Goh P. B., Pradit S., Towatana P., Khokkiatiwong S., Kongket B. & Moh J. H. Z. (2021). Microplastic abundance in blood cockles and shrimps from fishery market, Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. Sains Malaysiana. 50(10): 2899-2911. DOI.

    Lee R., Lovatelli A. & Ababouch L. (2008). Bivalve depuration: fundamental and practical aspects. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. Rome.

    Li Y., Qin J. G., Li X. & Benkendorff K. (2009). Spawning-dependent stress response to food deprivation in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Aquaculture. 286(3-4): 309-317. DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2008.09.035.

    Liu M., Li T., Zhang H., Ni H., Yuan G., Wang Z., Yang Y., Cong Q. & Dong Z. (2024). Starvation alters lipid and glycogen metabolism in clam Cyclina sinensis. Aquaculture Reports. 38: 102353. DOI: 10.1016/j.aqrep.2024.102353.

    Liu M., Wei C., Xu W., Tan L., Li L. & Zhang G. (2025). Effect of prolonged starvation on nutrition utilization and transcriptional responses in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Aquaculture Reports. 40: 102649. DOI: 10.1016/j.aqrep.2025.102649.

    Liu Y., Shi H., Chen L., Teng X., Xue C. & Li Z. (2023). An overview of microplastics in oysters: Analysis, hazards, and depuration. Food Chemistry. 422: 136153. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.136153.

    Martem’yanov V. I. (2000). The dynamics of the sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium contents in the fresh water mollusc zebra mussel Dreissenia polymorpha during stress. Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology. 36(1): 41-46. DOI: 10.1007/bf02890664.

    Masura J., Baker J., Foster G., Arthur C. & Herring C. 2015. Laboratory methods for the analysis of microplastics in the marine environment: recommendations for quantifying synthetic particles in waters and sediments. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-48. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Debris Division, Silver Spring MD.

    Mohan P., Shahul Hamid F., Furumai H. & Nishikawa K. (2024). Beneath the surface: exploring microplastic intricacies in Anadara granosa. Marine Environmental Research. 199: 106581. DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106581.

    My T. T. A., Dat N. D. & Hung N. Q. (2023). Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in wild and farmed shrimps collected from Cau Hai lagoon, central Vietnam. Molecules. 28(12): 4634. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124634.

    Myklestad S. & Haug A. (1972). Production of carbohydrates by the marine diatom Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt. I. Effect of the concentration of nutrients in the culture medium. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 9(2): 125-136. DOI: 10.1016/0022-0981(72)90041-X.

    Okumura T., Nagasawa T., Hayashi I. & Sato Y. (2002). Effects of starvation on RNA : DNA ratio, glycogen content, and C : N ratio in columellar muscle of the Japanese turban shell Turbo (Batillus) cornutus (Gastropoda). Fisheries Science. 68(2): 306-312. DOI: 10.1046/j.1444-2906.2002.00426.x.

    Patterson M. A., Parker B. C. & Neves R. J. (1999). Glycogen concentration in the mantle tissue of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia : Unionidae) during starvation and controlled feeding. American Malacological Bulletin. 15: 47-50. DOI.

    Paul A. T., Hannon C., Švonja M., Connellan I. & Frias J. (2023). Efficacy of microplastic depuration on two commercial oyster species from the west coast of Ireland. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 54(5): 1217-1234. DOI: 10.1111/jwas.12989.

    Pizzurro F., Nerone E., Ancora M., Di Domenico M., Mincarelli L. F., Cammà C., Salini R., Di Renzo L., Di Giacinto F., Corbau C., Bokan I., Ferri N. & Recchi S. (2024). Exposure of Mytilus galloprovincialis to microplastics: accumulation, depuration and evaluation of the expression levels of a selection of molecular biomarkers. Animals. 14(1): 4. DOI: 10.3390/ani14010004.

    Rahmatin N. M., Soegianto A., Irawan B., Payus C. M., Indriyasari K. N., Marchellina A., Mukholladun W. & Irnidayanti Y. (2024). The spatial distribution and physico-chemical characteristic of microplastics in the sediment and cockle (Anadara granosa) from the coastal waters of East Java, Indonesia, and the health hazards associated with cockle consumption. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 198: 115906. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115906.

    Ribeiro F., Mitrano D. M., Hacker C., Cherek P., Brigden K., Kaserzon S. L., Thomas K. V. & Galloway T. S. (2022). Short depuration of oysters intended for human consumption is effective at reducing exposure to nanoplastics. Environmental Science & Technology. 56(23): 16716-16725. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02269.

    Saleh R., Daud A., Ishak H., Amqam H., Wahyu A., Stang, Birawida A. B. & Mallongi A. (2023). Spatial distribution of microplastic contamination in blood clams (Anadara granosa) on the Jeneponto coast, South Sulawesi. Journal of Namibian Studies. 34: 2154-2179. DOI: 10.59670/jns.v34i.1481.

    Tu N. P. C., Ha N. N., Nhan D. T., Dong N. V. & Tri N. N. (2020). Evaluation of heavy metal removal ability in blood cockles by flow-through depuration process. The Third International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment. Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House. 411-422.

    Tu N. P. C., Oanh P. T. K., Ha N. N. & Tam N. T. (2025). Microplastic distribution in the sediment of the mangrove ecosystem of Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and its reflection in the inhabited cockle. Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences (in press).

    Ukhrowi H. R., Wardhana W. & Patria M. P. (2021). Microplastic abundance in blood cockle Anadara granosa (Linnaeus, 1758) at Lada Bay, Pandeglang, Banten. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1725(1): 012053. DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1725/1/012053.

    Van Cauwenberghe L. & Janssen C. R. (2014). Microplastics in bivalves cultured for human consumption. Environmental Pollution. 193: 65-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.06.010.

    Vietnamese National Standards (2018). TCVN 12598:2018: Fertilizers - Determination of total calcium and magnesium content by volumetric method (in Vietnamese).

    Ward J. E., Zhao S., Holohan B. A., Mladinich K. M., Griffin T. W., Wozniak J. & Shumway S. E. (2019). Selective ingestion and egestion of plastic particles by the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica): Implications for using bivalves as bioindicators of microplastic pollution. Environmental Science and Technology. 53(15): 8776-8784. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02073.

    Weinstein J. E., Ertel B. M. & Gray A. D. (2022). Accumulation and depuration of microplastic fibers, fragments, and tire particles in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica: A toxicokinetic approach. Environmental Pollution. 308: 119681. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119681.

    Whyte J. N. C., Englar J. R. & Carswell B. L. (1990). Biochemical composition and energy reserves in Crassostrea gigas exposed to different levels of nutrition. Aquaculture. 90(2): 157-172. DOI: 10.1016/0044-8486(90)90338-N.

    Woods M. N., Stack M. E., Fields D. M., Shaw S. D. & Matrai P. A. (2018). Microplastic fiber uptake, ingestion, and egestion rates in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Marine Pollution Bulletin. 137: 638-645. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.061.

    Wootton N., Sarakinis K., Varea R., Reis-Santos P. & Gillanders B. M. (2022). Microplastic in oysters: A review of global trends and comparison to southern Australia. Chemosphere. 307: 136065. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136065.

    Xu Z., Huang L., Xu P., Lim L., Cheong K.-L., Wang Y. & Tan K. (2024). Microplastic pollution in commercially important edible marine bivalves: A comprehensive review. Food Chemistry: X. 23: 101647. DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101647.