Gas chromatographic evaluation of pesticide residue contents in nectarines after non-toxic washing treatments

Washing with aqueous solutions of citric acid, ethanol, glycerol, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, sodium metabisulfite, sodium laurylsulfate (SLS), sodium hypochlorite, and urea is evaluated for pesticide residue reduction in nectarines and compared with simple tap water washing. Residues of pesticides commonly utilized in nectarines (chlorpyrifos, fenarimol, iprodione, malathion, methidathion, myclobutanil, parathion and pirimicarb) are extracted with ethyl acetate and anhydrous sodium sulfate, extract is concentred and analyzed by GC with nitrogen–phosphorus detection. The formation of possible toxic by-products (chlorpyrifos oxon, malaoxon, methidaoxon and paraoxon methyl) is studied by GC–MS. No toxic by-products are identified in the extracts of the washed samples for the washing-time and concentrations studied, but high levels of sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate form oxons from the organophosphorus pesticides. Ethanol, glycerol and SLS solutions removed near the 50% of the pesticide residues. The other solutions were not more effective than tap water washing. The amount of pesticide removed by washings is related to its water solubility and octanol–water partition coefficient.