Validation of Analytical Methods Used for Pesticide Residue Detection in Fruits and Vegetables

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Injudicious and ever-increasing use of pesticides has made consumers more aware and critical about quality control and quality assurance in fruits and vegetables. Presence of pesticide residues in food commodities is one of the most indispensable parameters in quality control and quality assurance. To meet out the demand of acceptable or no residues in crops, different agencies viz. Codex Alimentarius Commission, European Union, FSSAI etc. have assigned maximum residue limits for different pesticides on different crops. As these residues are present in very small quantities, their extraction and quantification involve the use of very effective and sensitive analytical methods and instruments. Different accreditation bodies have fixed analytical parameters to be met out by the pesticide residue laboratories so as to detect the pesticide residues with high precision and accuracy. Some of these parameters are linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and specificity etc. Validation of analytical methods is one such essential parameter in establishing the analytical quality control for detection of pesticide residues and also an essential component to meet out the requirements of different accreditation bodies. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to make an overview of the validation of analytical methods employed in pesticide residue analysis globally. The present review focuses on methods validated by different workers for residue detection along with each analytical parameter covered for validating the analytical methods. This compilation will be a useful tool to the analysts working on pesticide residue analysis in fruits and vegetables.