Samples and sample preparation
| Samples |
MIQALab offers microplastic analysis for a wide range of sample matrices, including aqueous samples ranging from clean drinking water to highly contaminated environmental waters, water-soluble materials such as salts, water-insoluble compounds, consumer products (e.g. cosmetics and personal care products), and a variety of complex environmental samples. For each matrix, an appropriate combination of sample preparation modules is selected to ensure efficient purification, reliable particle recovery, and high-quality analytical results.
Due to the fundamental limitations of infrared spectroscopy, the reliable detection of particles below approximately 5–10 µm becomes increasingly challenging. Therefore, MIQALab offers routine analyses with either a 10 µm or 20 µm particle size cut-off. Since the number of particles increases dramatically with decreasing particle size, analyses with a 10 µm cut-off require significantly greater analytical effort, measurement time, and data evaluation. Offering both size limits allows customers to select the most suitable balance between analytical depth, project requirements, and cost.
We are able to offer the following exemplary samples, but are not limited to them:
| Sample preparation |
Every sample matrix requires a different analytical approach. MIQALab has developed a modular sample preparation concept that combines different preparation steps depending on the sample matrix and analytical requirements. This flexible workflow ensures efficient, reliable analyses while also forming the basis of our transparent and modular pricing structure.
Here you can find out more on the sample preparation.
Aqueous Samples
| Environmental Water | Drinking Water | Bottled Water |
MIQALab provides microplastic analysis for a broad range of aqueous samples, including drinking water, bottled water, surface water, groundwater, wastewater, and other environmental water samples. Depending on the sample origin and contamination level, dedicated sample preparation workflows are applied to ensure efficient particle recovery while minimizing background interference. Our validated methods are designed to deliver reliable and reproducible results across matrices ranging from low-particle drinking water to highly contaminated environmental waters.
The required sample volume depends on the type of water, the expected microplastic concentration, and the desired particle size cut-off (10 or 20 µm). These parameters are assessed individually for each sample and can be discussed during an initial consultation to ensure the most appropriate sampling strategy and analytical approach.
Water-soluble Samples
| Salts | Powders & Cristalline Materials |
MIQALab offers microplastic analysis for a wide range of water-soluble materials, including salts and other readily dissolvable products. These samples are processed using a simple and efficient preparation workflow: the material is dissolved in 0.22 µm filtered water, after which the solution is filtered through the selected particle size cut-off filter using a stainless steel sieve (10 or 20 µm).
The retained particles are subsequently transferred directly onto gold-coated analytical membranes using our proprietary glass filtration apparatus. This unique system eliminates the need for an intermediate transfer vessel, allowing the sample to remain completely enclosed throughout the entire workflow. As a result, particle recovery is maximized while the risk of external contamination is significantly reduced. The combination of this validated workflow and our custom-designed filtration system ensures reliable, reproducible, and high-quality analytical results.
Water-Insoluble Samples
| Industrial Powders | Pigments &Fillers |
MIQALab also provides microplastic analysis for a wide range of water-insoluble samples, including powders, industrial materials, and other insoluble solid matrices. Since these materials cannot be dispersed in water, an appropriate dispersion solvent must first be selected to bring the sample into a homogeneous suspension. Particular care is taken to ensure that the chosen solvent does not alter, damage, or dissolve the microplastic particles, thereby preserving their physical and chemical properties throughout the analytical workflow.
Following dispersion, the sample is filtered through the selected particle size cut-off filter using our validated stainless steel sieve apparatus. The retained particles are then transferred directly onto gold-coated analytical membranes using our proprietary glass filtration system prior to spectroscopic analysis. This closed and validated workflow maximizes particle recovery while minimizing the risk of contamination, ensuring reliable and reproducible analytical results across a wide variety of water-insoluble sample matrices.
Consumer products
| Cosmetics | Personal Care Products | Household Products |
Consumer products often contain complex formulations consisting of oils, surfactants, pigments, fillers, and other additives that require matrix-specific sample preparation prior to microplastic analysis. MIQALab applies tailored preparation workflows to efficiently separate microplastic particles from these components while preserving their physical and chemical integrity. The selection of suitable digestion procedures, solvents, and purification steps is optimized individually for each product matrix to ensure reliable particle recovery and accurate polymer identification.
After sample preparation, the isolated particles are transferred to the analytical filter for spectroscopic characterization. Depending on the product formulation, additional purification or separation steps may be incorporated to reduce matrix interference and improve analytical performance. This flexible workflow enables reliable identification and quantification of microplastics across a wide variety of consumer products while maintaining high data quality and reproducibility.
Beverages
| Soft Drinks | Functional Beverages |
Beverages represent a particularly important sample category in microplastic analysis, as they are directly linked to consumer exposure. MIQALab offers dedicated analytical workflows for a wide variety of beverages, including soft drinks, bottled water, beer, wine, spirits, juices, and other liquid products.
Each beverage is evaluated individually to determine the most appropriate preparation strategy. Matrix-specific purification and concentration steps are applied where necessary to ensure efficient particle recovery while preserving the integrity of the microplastics. This tailored approach enables reliable and reproducible microplastic analysis across a broad range of beverage types.