Abstract
The commercial production of highly cultivated and consumed brinjal is highly dependent on regular usage of insecticides to protect the crop from insect pests. The increased consumer awareness and legal issues on food safety, with special reference to insecticide residues in foods, led us to attempt for cheap and effective methods for removal of pesticide residues to address the issues of consumer and food safety, as the farmers are not following the Good Agricultural Practices i.e pre-harvest intervals. The most commonly used pesticides such as profenophos, chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, malathion, phosalone, quinalphos, triazophos and -cyhalothrin were sprayed at recommended doses at brinjal formation stage, samples were collected at 2 hours after treatment to quantify the deposits. The samples were subjected to various household treatments (tap water wash, lemon water wash, dipping in 2% salt water for 15 min, dipping in 2% tamarind water for 10 min, washing with 0.1% sodium bicarbonate solution, washing with 4% acetic acid solution, biowash, cooking), each in three replications, and analysed for residues using validated quick,easy cheap rugged and simple method (Quechers method and GC-ECD, (GAS Chromatography Electron capture detector) FPD(Flame photometric detector) and GC-MS(Gas Chromatography Mass spectrometry) so as to estimate the % removal and their effectiveness. Out of all treatments, dipping in 2% salt solution for 10 minutes is very effective in removing 45%, 43%, 52%, 50%, 54%, 48% and 76% of dimethoate, chlorpyriphos, quinalphos, profenophos, phosalone, -cyhalothrin and malathion, respectively, and cooking removed insecticides in the range 55-80%. Dipping fruits and vegetables in 2% salt solution for 15 minutes is the best household method for removal of pesticide residues, and also the method is effective in reducing the residues below MRL (Maximum Residue Limits).
Highlights
Brinjal is the most popular vegetable in India, and state of Andhra Pradesh is third most important growing Brinjal producing 1.615 M mt with a share of 12% (NHB, 2013) during 2012-13
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are set by Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) at international level and as on date, MRLs are set for 17 pesticides on brinjal, and by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, as per Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011) at national level based on the Good Agricultural Practices
AOAC official method 2007.01 (QuEChERS quick,easy cheap rugged and simple method) for residue analysis of dimethoate, profenophos, chlorpyrifos, malathion, phosalone, quinalphos, triazophos, -cyhalothrin was validated by fortifying control samples at 0.50 mg/kg level, and the results indicated that the method was good as the recovery per cent was [97, 119, 96, 103, 114, 93, 99] and 97, respectively, and the method is used for analysis
Summary
Brinjal is the most popular vegetable in India, and state of Andhra Pradesh is third most important growing Brinjal producing 1.615 M mt with a share of 12% (NHB, 2013) during 2012-13. The major insect pest of brinjal is fruit and shoot borer ( Leucinoders orbonalis)for which farmers apply insecticides at almost weekly interval, and the risk of pesticide residues in foods need to be addressed as per FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) for the protection of consumer health and interests. In this context, household risk mitigation methods for removal of pesticide residues in brinjal are to be recommended based on the scientific evaluation, as the food habits are changing enormously. Keywords Pesticide Residues, Brinjal, Food Safety, Risk Mitigation, Reduction Method
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