Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Peach (Prunus persica L.) from Swat and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Peach (Prunus persica L.) from Swat and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Bilal Jan1, Farida Anjum1*, Aasma Bibi1, Syed Roohul Hussain1, Abdul Ahad1, Azeem ud Deen1, Zia Ullah2 and Farrakh Mehboob3
ABSTRACT
Peaches, similar to many other fruits and vegetables, are treated with different pesticides at various stages of their growth and development, under conventional agricultural practices especially in developing countries. Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables have achieved considerable attention due to the unempirical utilization of pesticides. Fruits and their products can serve as potential sources of toxic constituents such as pesticide residues, as they are often consumed unprocessed. This study was designed to assess the pesticide contamination level in different varieties of peach collected from the Swat and Peshawar districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The analytical method was optimized for a total of nine different pesticides (Atrazine, parathion-methyl, chlorpyrifos, captan, α-endosulfan, dieldrin, β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, and α-cypermethrin) of various chemical classes, using Agilent’s Intuvo-9000 GC-µECD system. A total of thirteen peach samples, ten from fruit orchards and three from fruit markets, belonging to five different varieties were collected and analysed. 38% of the samples were found to be non-compliant to EU-MRL for chlorpyrifos, 8% for atrazine and parathion-methyl, whereas no non-compliance was observed for FAO/codex maximum residue limits (MRLs). The designed method for the multi-class pesticide residues was standardized for peaches via GC-µECD. Based on the results of the present study, it is the need of time to conduct more research in this field; disseminate results, and develop stringent policies to screen the use of pesticides sustainably for the benefit of the environment and mankind.
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