Safe apples for baby-food production: Survey of pesticide treatment regimes leaving minimum residues

• Published in: Food additives and contaminants 2007-06, Vol.24 (6), p.605-620
• Main Authors: Ticha, J, Hajslova, J, Kovalczuk, T, Jech, M, Honzicek, J, Kocourek, V, Lansky, M, Kloutvorova, J, Falta, V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Apples; baby food; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; complementary foods; Food Analysis - methods; food contamination; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food industries; Fruit - chemistry; Fruit - standards; Fruit and vegetable industries; fruit crops; fruit production; fruits (food); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; General aspects; good agricultural practices; Humans; Hygiene and safety; Infant; Infant Food - standards; infant foods; liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; Malus - chemistry; Malus domestica; maximum residue limits; orchards; pesticide application; pesticide residues; Pesticide Residues - analysis; pesticides; Pesticides - standards; postharvest systems; preharvest treatment; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods
• ISSN: 0265-203X; 1464-5122
• DOI: 10.1080/02652030601013703

A total of 19 pesticide preparations were used according to agricultural practice in six trials in apple orchards. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), premature Golden Delicious apples collected 64, 50, 36 days before harvest and mature fruit were examined for residues of active ingredients. No residues of triflumuron, triazamate, chlorpyrifos, etofenprox, fenoxycarb, kresoxim-methyl, cyprodinyl, difenoconazole or thiram were detected in the first sampling. Also, the levels of chlorpyrifos-methyl, penconazole, tebuconazole and tolylfluanid dropped during the pre-harvest interval. Detectable residues of pyridaben, thiacloprid, trifloxystrobin and tetraconazole in harvested fruits were below 0.01 mg kg-1, which is the maximum concentration of residues acceptable by baby-food producers in any raw material. The only residues exceeding this concentration were captan and teflubenzuron. Based on the data, farmers can choose pesticides for optimal treatment of plants, while enabling growth of a safe crop suitable for baby-food production.