RAPID DETECTION OF PESTICIDES AND HEAVY METALS IN CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND ESTIMATION OF HEALTH RISK.
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Date
0024-01-18
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KINNAIRD COLLEGE ENVIORNMENTAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Abstract
A rainbow of fruits and vegetables in diet supports overall wellbeing and health of humans and reduces
the risk of chronic diseases. However, the presence of pesticide residues and heavy metal accumulation in
fruits and vegetables has raised concerns about potential risk to human health. This study was carried out
to identify concentration of pesticides and heavy metals in canned fruits and vegetables and estimate the
potential health risk to humans. Different types of canned fruits and vegetable samples were purchased
from Al Fatah, Imtiaz super market and Risen store. Total seventeen samples, ten canned vegetables
(sweet corn, green peas, mushrooms, green olives, red kidney beans, garlic, red chili, cauliflower, carrot,
lemon) and seven canned fruits (peach, grapes, pear, pineapple, red cherry, papaya, lychee) of different
local and international brands were taken. By using (HPLC) four types of pesticides i.e. Glyphosate,
Bifenthrin, Imidacloprid, Difenoconazole were analyzed in these samples and five heavy metals i.e zinc,
manganese, chromium, cobalt and copper were determined by Atomic Absorption. The results showed
that concentration of glyphosate in vegetables sweet corn (0.4 ppm), green peas (0.3 ppm), mushrooms
(0.15 ppm), green olives (0.21 ppm) , red kidney beans (0.6 ppm), garlic clove (0.60 ppm), red chilli (0.3
ppm), cauliflower (0.66 ppm), carrot (0.34 ppm) and lemon (0.65 ppm), and fruit peach (0.195 ppm) ,
grapes (0.21 ppm), pear (0.39 ppm), concentration of bifenthrin in vegetable green olives (0.11 ppm) and
fruit pear (0.158 ppm) , lychee (0.171 ppm), concentration of imidacloprid in vegetable mushroom (0.15
ppm) and cauliflower (0.10 ppm) and fruit peach (0.29 ppm) and concentration of difenoconazole in
vegetable mushroom (0.67 ppm) , green olives (0.13 ppm), garlic clove (0.3 ppm), lemon (0.416 ppm)
and fruit peach (0.123 ppm) , grapes (0.133 ppm), pear (0.25 ppm), red cherry (0.25 ppm), papaya (0.11
ppm) , lychee (0.11 ppm) exceeded the MRL values set by WHO and FAO. While for heavy metals,
concentration of zinc in all the vegetables sweet corn (0.062 ppm), green peas (0.049 ppm), mushroom
(0.069 ppm), green olives (0.83 ppm), red kidney beans (0.031 ppm), garlic clove (0.251 ppm), red chilli
(0.086 ppm) , cauliflower (0.022 ppm), carrot (0.041 ppm), lemon (0.017 ppm) and fruits peach (0.021
ppm) , grapes (0.18 ppm), pear (0.034 ppm), pineapple (0.256 ppm), red cherry (0.068 ppm), papaya
(0.715 ppm), lychee (0.012 ppm) exceeded the Maximum Residue Limit set by FAO and WHO,
concentration of manganese in vegetable sweet corn (0.208 ppm), green peas (0.247 ppm), mushrooms
(0.184 ppm), garlic clove (0.04 ppm), red chilli (0.379 ppm), cauliflower (0.224 ppm) and concentration
of cobalt in vegetable sweet corn (0.048 ppm), green peas (0.048 ppm), garlic clove (0.08 ppm) and fruit
peach (0.048 ppm) exceeded the MRL values while concentration of chromium in vegetable mushroom ,
cauliflower, lemon and fruits pineapple, lychee were below detection limit (BDL). For copper no
vegetable and fruit samples exceeded the MRL values.