Assessing residues of some insecticides during household processing of lemon

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess the residues of some insecticides (abamectin, buprofezin, etoxazole) applied on the lemon fruits during its cultivation and to investigate the consequence of household processing such as peeling, jam production, freezing and storage on the residues. A multi-residual analysis method based on QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) procedure and liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used. Mean recovery (measure of trueness; 70-120%), precision (as repeatability and interim precision relative standard deviation <20%) and limit of quantification (0.01 mg/kg < MRLs) were in accordance with the criteria set in the international guideline. Lemon samples were purchased from Bursa markets in April 2018. The experimental studies and statistical evaluations were conducted at Bursa University Agriculture Faculty (Bursa -Turkiye) between 5 May 2018-30 July 2022. The results revealed that pesticide residues mostly dispersed on the peel, therefore, peeling step decreased the residue level by 90-100% in the pulp of the fruit. Fruit juice and jam production operations decreased the residue level by 87- 100%. Processing factors were less than 1 for fruit juice and jam processing, on the other hand, it was greater than 1 for the separation, grating, freezing and storage of the peels.