Pesticide residues in field‐sprayed and processed fruits and vegetables

Abstract

This study was initiated to determine what residues of six insecticides (organochlorine, organophosphorus and pyrethroids) and four dithiocarbamate fungicides remained on raw agricultural commodities after harvest and to study the effect of the subsequent commercial processing on the residues. Sprayed crops of tomatoes, red peppers, asparagus, spinach, artichokes and peaches harvested after controlled field trials contained residues well below the maximum residue levels, except for lindane in tomatoes and acephate in artichoke. Commercial processing procedures led to large reductions in residue levels in the finished products. Washing removed all residual lindane, chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin from tomatoes. Chlorpyrifos residues were reduced by 67% during wood-fire roasting of peppers, and subsequent peeling removed all the remains. Peeling and blanching of asparagus reduced chlorpyrifos concentrations to undetectable levels. Processing of artichokes eliminated acephate and chlorpyrifos after blanching. Acephate in peaches survived successive processing steps until the final heat process that destroyed remaining residues. The net results can contribute to assure the consumer of a safe wholesome food supply.

Monitoring pesticide residues in greenhouse tomato by combining acetonitrile-based extraction with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas-chromatography–mass spectrometry

“…Comparing the results obtained in this work with those found in tomatoes samples from other countries, it was observed that pesticide residues in tomatoes commercialized in Portugal present lower amounts than those reported in tomatoes from Spain (cypermethrin 0.012 mg/kg and deltramethrin not detected) (Chavarri, Herrera, & Ariño, 2004), France (chlorothalonil 0.04-0.85 mg/kg and procymidone 0.003-0.09 mg/kg) (Guillet, Fave, & Montury, 2009) and Morocco (cypermethrin 0.04-0.79 mg/kg, deltramethrin 0.01-0.05 mg/kg and dicofol 0.01-1.06 mg/kg). The differences between results from different countries endorse the idea that a deeper and continuous investigation of tomato pesticide residues is necessary in order to guaranty the safety of consumers.…”

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) health components: from the seed to the consumer

“…The effect of different herbicides on phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity and therefore on phenolic biosynthesis has also been reported (Tomas-Barberan and Espin 2001). Moreover, applications of pesticides for pest control leads to fruit pesticide residues that may exceed the maximal level (Chavarri et al 2004;Tsakiris et al 2004); however, none of the farming choices (conventional, IPM, organic) available on the market are completely free of pesticide residues (Baker et al 2002).…”

Determination of difenoconazole residue in tomato during home canning by UPLC-MS/MS

“…Many researchers observed the residues of organochlorine pesticides, organophosphate pesticides and pyrethroid pesticides in tomatoes during home or commercial preparation (Abou-Arab, 1999;Chavarri, Herrera, & Arino, 2004;Lin, Gerrard, & Shaw, 2005). However, few studies focusing on systematic processing have carried out on the triazole fungicide residue variation.…”