DETERMINATION OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN CAULIFLOWER AND TOMATO COLLECTED FROMDIFFERENT AREAS OF RANGPUR DISTRICT

Abstract

Abstract The study was conducted to analyze pesticide residues in two common vegetables (cauliflower and tomato) collected from five different areas (Paura Bazaar, Station Bazar, Tetultola Bazar, Terminal Bazar and Lalbag Bazar) of Rangpur city from September 2017 to March 2018. The collected samples were carried to the Pesticide Analytical Laboratory, Entomology Division of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur. The collected samples were analyzed using Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction technique and Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled with Flame Thermionized Detector (FTD) for the determination of pesticide residues in 40 samples of cauliflower and 40 samples of tomato. Among the 40 analyzed samples of cauliflower, 6 samples (15% of the total number of samples) contained pesticide residues of diazinon and quinalphos. Among these 6 samples, 5 had residues above the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) and 1 sample contained two different types of pesticide residues such as diazinon and quinalphos. The level of detected diazinon residues was above MRL, while the level of quinalphos residues was below the MRL and the other 34 samples (85% of the total number of samples) contained no detectable residues of the sought pesticides. Similarly out of 40 analyzed samples of tomato, 4 samples (10% of the total number of samples) contained pesticide residues of acephate, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos and quinalphos. Among these 4 samples, 3 had residues above the MRL and 1 had residues below the MRL set by European Commission. This study reflects the overall scenario of pesticide contamination in vegetables especially in cauliflower and tomato available in the local markets of Rangpur District, which will help the consumer to be aware of their health and safety. Key words: Cauliflower, Tomato, Gas Chromatography, Pesticide residues, QuEChERS Extraction