Investigating PFAS Bioaccumulation Behavior, Uptake Mechanisms, and Food Quality Implications in Edible Crops

About This Grant

This project will examine how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals”, get into and accumulate in crops such as radish, lettuce, and soybean. It will also investigate how uptake of these chemicals by plants may reduce food quality. The research team will use advanced analytical tools measure the update of PFAS chemicals and where they accumulate in plants. Biochemical tests will be used to determine how PFAS exposure affects plants’ ability to absorb and produce nutrients. The results will fill a key knowledge gap about how PFAS move within plants and affect food quality, which will help scientists gauge potential health risks. The research will produce an approach that others can use to study new contaminants in farming systems. Outreach activities will engage students from middle school through college and offer science education events for the public. The project will promote safer agricultural practices, inform improved environmental standards, and build a more PFAS-aware community to protect public health. The goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms underlying uptake and bioaccumulation of PFAS in representative food crops and their implications for food safety and nutritional quality. The hypothesis is that the physicochemical properties of PFAS govern their interaction dynamics with plant systems. To test this hypothesis, three specific objectives will be addressed. The first objective is to determine how the physicochemical properties of eight common PFAS compounds influence their uptake and selective bioaccumulation in different organs of three crop species (radish, lettuce, and soybean) through PFAS quantification and visualization. The work will pinpoint where PFAS accumulate most within plants. The second objective is to investigate the mechanisms regulating the transport of different PFAS in plants during uptake. The relationship between protein and lipid content and PFAS accumulation will be examined. The uptake pathways for different PFAS compounds will be elucidated through inhibition tests using seven distinct protein inhibitors. The third objective is to understand how PFAS exposure affects plant nutritional quality at the molecular level. The gene expression of four key aquaporins and three key anion channel proteins will be analyzed in soybean as a model plant exposed to various PFAS. Changes in macro- and micronutrients and vitamin B9 in the seeds, which are the primary edible part of soybean, will be evaluated. The project will provide mechanistic insights into PFAS uptake, bioaccumulation, and their implications for food quality in edible crops, particularly the selected species that are widely consumed in the U.S. diet. Additionally, the project will provide experiential learning opportunities for students, promote STEM education to learners from middle school through college, engage the public and agricultural communities through science education events, and cultivate a skilled workforce equipped to address complex environmental challenges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.