Inorganic Bromide Residues in Olives After Quarantine Treatments with Methyl Bromide, 1981

Abstract

Abstract Four cultivars of olives were fumigated at 70°F with 99.5% methyl bromide (MB) gas at normal atmospheric pressure, and with different dosage and time combinations. The MB treatments were either approved for use or were pending approval for use as quarantine treatments against infestations of Mediterranean fruit fly in various fresh fruits and vegetables. Raw olives, without packaging materials, were placed inside 1-ft3 chambers. The load in each chamber was 16 ± 1 lb/ft3 by weight or 45 ± 5% by volume. Gas samples were taken throughout the fumigation period to determine MB gas concentrations in the chamber atmosphere. Concentration x time products (CT products) were then calculated. After fumigation, the olives were aerated in the chamber for 1 h. Samples of the raw olives were taken from control and treated lots and held for 24 h at 70°F. Following removal of the pits, the olives were analyzed for determination of inorganic bromide residues using a wet chemical method with accurate detection at 2 ppm or more. The remainder of each lot was commercially processed and canned as black ripe olives. The canned product was sampled at a later time and analyzed to determine the effect of the processing procedure on the original level of inorganic bromides. The juice from the canned olives was also analyzed. All control samples (both raw and processed) had less than 2 ppm inorganic bomides. Each treatment was able to be replicated only two times, and two samples per treatment were taken each time for residue analysis.