Detection of Pesticide Residues in Soil, Water, and Food

Abstract

Pesticide is widely used in modern agriculture for increasing crop production. However, pesticides can contaminate the environment, including water, soil, and food, and cause damage to ecosystems and organism health. Analysis of pesticide residues in soil, water, and food samples aims at detecting presence of pesticides in these environmental samples and providing knowledge for further research and decision making. Common methods used in such analysis serve varying ends. Sample preparation methods like solid phase extraction and microextraction cleans the sample and enriches the analytes of interest. Chromatography, including gas chromatography and liquid chromatography, separates the analytes based on their chemical nature. Detectors like ultraviolet-visible spectra detectors and mass spectrometers analyze the compounds separated by chromatographs. They provide critical information on the analytes and allow for both identification and quantification of the pesticide residues in the sample. The article aims at providing a brief overview of the aforesaid methods in context of pesticide residue analysis. Their basic principles are demonstrated, and their strengths and weaknesses are briefly discussed. Applications of the methods are also presented through a number of published researches using such methods in pesticide analysis.