الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The presence of pesticide residues in locally produced fruits and vegetables in Egypt raises health concerns among consumers. The aims of this study were to determine the contamination level of pesticide residues in some consumed local horticultural products orange, potato, tomato and grape in the following Egyptian governorates: Dakahlia, Ismailia, Fayoum, Alexandria, Cairo, Gharbia, Kafr El-Sheikh, sharkie, Port Said, Beheira, Minya, Menoufia, Qalyubia and Giza. Potential risk assessment to the human health was also assessed. A number of 175 samples of fruits and vegetables were analyzed using the QuEChERS method followed by GC-MS/MS and/or LC-MS/MS analysis. Out of the total 175 samples analyzed, 35 samples (20%) were free from pesticide residues, 140 samples (80%) were contaminated, and 59 samples (42%) from the contaminated samples exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRL’s). The most frequently detected pesticides were chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, and carbendazim. The risk assessment studies for the only violated samples indicated seemingly that no possible human risks to consumers were observed according to the calculated Health Index (HI). However, pesticide residues must be regularly and widely monitored, in other fresh commodities and other governorates. Processing operations such as washing, peeling, juice and boiling, led to residues loss in the crops tested, and this percentage differed according to the treatment, the boiling process caused the loss of found in potato and tomato, While the loss in other operations (washing, peeling and juicing) varied based on the commodity. |