Pesticide residues content in imported and local citrus fruits / Nur Azrizan Mohd Padang

Introduction: Fresh citrus fruit is one of the parts of a healthy diet as they are a significant source of vitamins and minerals. Citrus wliich included in group oranges is a minor agricultural crop in Malaysia. Moreover the bulk of oranges are imported annually especially on Chine New Year Celebration. Objective: The study aim is to evaluate organophosphorus (OPs) pesticide residues level in local and import oranges and its potential risk to human health which is the compound of organophosphorus (OPs) pesticide include Dichlorvos, Ethoprophos, Methyl Parathion, Fenchlorphos and Disulfoton. Literature Review:
Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) have been widely used in agricultural environments to protect crops against a range of pests since the ban of organochlorine insecticides, such as DDT, due to their broad spectrum of insecticidal activity, effectiveness, and the nature of non-persistence in the environment (Chung and Chan 2010). Human exposure may result in acute and delayed health effects. Residues of pesticide could affect the ultimate consumer's health especially when freshly consumed (Zhang, Liu et al. 2007). Methodology: Total sample size is 60 sample (n=60) which is grouping into import and local citrus fruits. Liquid­-liquid extraction by rotary evaporator and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) used approaches on this study for the analysis of pesticide residues in fruit samples.
Findings: According on the HPLC data, Dichlorvos and Ethoprophos pesticide were detected and the amount was exceeding the Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) by the
standard of EU Pesticide Database (Dichlorvos -0.01 mg/kg) in two samples detected (China-0.384, 0.047mg/kg) and (Ethoprophos-0.02 mg/kg) in five samples (China-1.400mg/kg, Egypt-0.125mg/kg, Malaysia-0.035mg/kg, Thailand-0.200mg/kg, Vietnam-0.155mg/kg). Hazard index showed the value is more than 1 and classified it as risk for consumer. Conclusion and Recommendation: Pesticide usage around world is rapidly increasing and cases of misuse or over-use of pesticides are simultaneously on the increase. In the backdrop of such a situation, it is essential to impart proper education to the farming community about hazards involve in the misuse of toxic/persistent pesticide and formulation of laws and their enforcement. In addition, periodical monitoring of food commodities for pesticides is essential to assess the level of their contamination.