Knowledge Mapping of Scientific Production on Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Food and Beverages: Bibliometric Evidence from a Decade (2015-2025)

Microplastics (MP, <5 mm) and nanoplastics (NP, <1 μm) have emerged as critical contaminants at multiple stages of the human food chain, yet the scientific literature on this topic remains fragmented and unmapped. Based on a verified Scopus corpus of n=708 documents and using a structured Boolean search strategy and the PRISMA 2020 protocol (Fleiss κ=0.960; three independent reviewers), this study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and scientometric map of global scholarly research on MP and NP in food and beverages. Quantitative indicators were calculated using bibliometrix/biblioshiny v4.8 (R) and VOSviewer v1.6.20. Results reveal exponential growth (CAGR=55.25%), with 77.10% of the corpus concentrated in 2023-2025, a corpus level H-index of 102, and a total citation count of 41,137. Bradford's Law identified eight core Q1 journals (33.6% of documents). China dominates production (29.8%), while Ireland and the Netherlands lead citation impact (>230 citations/document). Co-occurrence network analysis (VOSviewer) identified six thematic clusters, (Q=0.412, TLS=284,155): food safety and risk assessment, terrestrial ecotoxicology, experimental toxicology of nanoplastics, marine pollution and bioaccumulation, freshwater and drinking water, and vulnerable population groups. Temporal overlay analysis identified emerging research frontiers post-2023.5: bioremediation, phytotoxicity, aged microplastics, intestinal absorption, and differential exposure in infants and adolescents. Latin America remains structurally marginal despite high epidemiological relevance. These findings map the cognitive architecture of the field and inform priority research agendas for food safety governance.