Rapid Quantification & Detection Techniques For Pesticides In Fruits & Vegetables

Microbiological and chemical analyses and testing are important aspects of food quality and safety assurance. DRDO has developed the following rapid quantification and detection techniques for pesticides in fruits and vegetables.

• A simple, reproducible and rapid determination technique with 84.4 to 88.34 per cent recovery has been developed for dithiocarbamate fungicide thiram in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• An extraction technique for spectrophotometric quantification, with high recoveries of 72.8 to 78.4 per cent and limit of 0.01�g, for the residues of fungicide captan in fruits and vegetables.
• A simple and rapid acetylcholinesterase enzyme-based colorimetric method for determination of residue of insecticide and acaricide monocrotophos in tender coconut water.
• A simple, reliable and cost-effective kit for simultaneous detection of five commonly encountered fungicides, namely, carbendazim, captan, thiophanate methyl, folpet, and thiram at 1-2 ppm level in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Two simple, quick, reliable and cost-effective paper strip test kits for detection of four fungicides, namely, thiram, ziram, thiophanate methyl, and benomyl in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• A multi-residue extraction technique with good recovery and sensitivity for simultaneous HPLC-UV analysis of five organophosphorous pesticides, namely, malathion, dimethoate, iprobenphos, ethion, and chlorpyriphos in water, soft-drinks, fruit beverages as well as fruits and vegetables.