Abstract
Over the span of the last decade, certain pesticides have been banned in apple tree and citrus tree cultivations. Hence, it is important to conduct research focused on estimating the occurrence of residues of pesticides from the perspective of compliance with the relevant legislative regulations. Equally important is to estimate the reduction in pesticide residues through simple procedures such as washing and peeling. This research was conducted in the years 2012 and 2020. An assessment was made of the effect of in-house processing, such as conventional washing with tap water and peeling, on the level of pesticide residues in apples and citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits and lemons). The level of pesticide residue was determined with the use of the QuEChERS method of extraction in conjunction with LC-MS/MS analysis. One can clearly observe a smaller number of pesticides identified in the edible parts of fruits in 2020 (seven pesticides in apples and three in citrus fruits) compared to 2012 (26 pesticides in apples and 4 in citrus fruits). In apples from 2012, only in the case of disulfoton was the maximum residue limit (MRL) exceeded, while in samples of apples from 2020 no instance of exceeded MRL was noted. This study did not reveal exceeded MRL values in the edible parts of citrus fruits in the analysed years. The absence of detected instances of pesticides not approved for use in the analysed years indicates that the producers complied with the relevant legislative regulations. The results obtained indicate that conventional washing with water (about 1.5 L/one fruit) did not have any effect on the level of pesticide residues in the analysed fruits. Apple peeling allowed for a reduction in pesticide levels in the range of 24% (carbendazim) to 100% (triflumuron, thiodicarb, tebuconazole).
Highlights
Apples and citrus fruits are extensively consumed in many countries, and they are considered to be valuable health-promoting food as they contain biologically active components such as ascorbic acid, carotene and group B vitamins, flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids, which have beneficial effects for human health [1,2,3,4]
The results clearly indicate a high accumulation of pesticides in the peels of citrus fruits
The results of studies show that the ban on the use of certain pesticides leads to the expected reduction in their residues in apple and citrus fruit crops
Summary
Apples and citrus fruits are extensively consumed in many countries, and they are considered to be valuable health-promoting food as they contain biologically active components such as ascorbic acid, carotene (provitamin A) and group B vitamins, flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids, which have beneficial effects for human health [1,2,3,4]. Systematic consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of civilisation diseases and facilitates body mass control [5,6,7,8]. Reports of the World Health Organisation of the Food and Agriculture Organisation recommend that adults should consume at least five portions of fruits and vegetables daily [9,10]. Cultivations of apple trees and citrus trees are attacked by numerous pathogenic fungi and by pests. For this reason, plant protection agents are commonly applied in conventional cultivations (as well as in sustainable agriculture systems), at various stages of plant development, to control pests and diseases which can cause a reduction in yields [11]. Residues of pesticides in fruits originating from such cultivations may constitute a hazard for human health [12,13,14]
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