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The effect of storage time, preparation and cooking method on residual pesticide levels in apples and potatoes treated with a suite of commonly used permitted pesticides

Project Code: T10019;
Publication:

The following poster presentations were made:

Devlin, Y., Mitchell, S. H. and Gault, N. The effects of storage time and preparation on residual pesticide levels in apple 7th European Pesticide Residue Workshop, Berlin, June 2008, p303
Devlin, Y., Mitchell, S. H. and Gault, N. The effects of storage time and preparation on residual pesticide levels in potato 8th European Pesticide Residue Workshop, Strasbourg, June 2010, p279

In addition, presentations were made at FSA research workshops on 1-2 May 2008 and 21-22 May 2009.

02/02/2012

In its report on Risk Assessment of Mixtures of Pesticides and Similar Substances, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) recommended that the effect of food processing and preparation on the bioavailability and chemical nature of pesticide residues should be further investigated. The objective of this project was to determine the effects of normal food preparation and cooking procedures on the persistence of a range of the most commonly found fungicides, insecticides and plant growth regulators in UK apples and potatoes.

Taking the results as a whole, peeling was the most effective means of reducing residues present predominantly in the peel of fruit and vegetables, while it had no affect on maleic hydrazide, a systemic pesticide. Washing had a variable effect on residues: residues of two pesticides applied to potatoes post-harvest were decreased, while residues of other detected pesticides in apples and potatoes were not. The results indicated that cooking processes can lower the concentrations of some residues, but do not remove or destroy them completely.

Final report

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