Dissipation of organophosphorus pesticides in wheat during pasta processing

Abstract

For investigating the carryover of some organophosphorus pesticide residues in the cereal food chain from grain to consumer, a study was set up on durum wheat, semolina and pasta. Pesticide-free durum wheat was placed into a small-scale model of a commercial storage vessel and treated with pesticides (malathion, fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos methyl, and pirimiphos methyl) according to the raw material legislation of Turkey. The residue levels of insecticides were determined in wheat, semolina, and spaghetti produced from stored wheat at various time intervals during five months of storage. A multiresidue analysis was performed using GC equipped with an NPD. The confirmation was performed by GC–MS. The residue levels of insecticides in wheat exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for wheat. The storage period was generally not effective enough to reduce the residues in wheat to levels below the MRLs. Although a considerable amount of the insecticides remained in the semolina, spaghetti processing significantly reduced residue concentrations in general. Pirimiphos methyl was the most persistent of the insecticides and comparatively less substantial loss occurred during milling and spaghetti processing due to its physicochemical properties.