Assessment of pesticide residues in strawberries grown under various treatment regimes

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2013-12, Vol.30 (12), p.2123-2135
• Main Authors: Kovacova, Jana, Hrbek, Vojtech, Kloutvorova, Jana, Kocourek, Vladimir, Drabova, Lucie, Hajslova, Jana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: active ingredients; Adult; azadirachtin; Berries; Biological and medical sciences; Biotransformation; Chemical Phenomena; Chromatography; Consumer Product Safety - legislation & jurisprudence; Crop residues; Cyclohexanes - adverse effects; Cyclohexanes - analysis; Cyclohexanes - chemistry; Cyclohexanes - metabolism; Czech Republic; deltamethrin; European Union; field experimentation; Food additives; Food Contamination - legislation & jurisprudence; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food industries; food industry; Fragaria; Fragaria - chemistry; Fragaria - growth & development; Fragaria - metabolism; Fruit - chemistry; Fruit - growth & development; Fruit - metabolism; Fruit - standards; fruits; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungicide; fungicides; Fungicides, Industrial - adverse effects; Fungicides, Industrial - analysis; Fungicides, Industrial - chemistry; Fungicides, Industrial - metabolism; gas chromatography; Guideline Adherence; Humans; Infant; Infant Food - analysis; Infant Food - standards; infant foods; insecticide; Insecticides - adverse effects; Insecticides - analysis; Insecticides - chemistry; Insecticides - metabolism; lambda-cyhalothrin; Legislation, Food; Mass spectrometry; maximum residue limits; Metabolites; pesticide formulations; pesticide residues; Pesticide Residues - adverse effects; Pesticide Residues - analysis; Pesticide Residues - chemistry; Pesticide Residues - metabolism; Pesticides; propargite; Public Policy; pymetrozine; Pyridazines - adverse effects; Pyridazines - analysis; Pyridazines - chemistry; Pyridazines - metabolism; residue; risk; spinosad; strawberries; strawberry
• ISSN: 1944-0057; 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2013.850537

The dynamics of pesticide residues in strawberries that involved quantification of pesticide residues in ripe fruits after model treatment was evaluated in repeated field trials conducted over 3 years. Sixteen commercial pesticide formulations in various combinations were employed in applications from 7 to 44 days before harvest. Altogether 21 active ingredients and some of their metabolites were determined in treated strawberries using LC-MS and GC-MS methods. Except for propargite, the concentrations of all active ingredients declined below the respective MRLs (Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005); nevertheless, most of the tested fungicides often persisted above the 0.01 mg kg ⁻¹ limit required by baby food producers to avoid the risk of exceeding the ‘baby food limit’ established in Commission Directive 2006/141/EC. On the other hand, residues of the majority of tested insecticides, namely spinosad, pymetrozine, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and azadirachtin, declined below this limit.