Effect of Technological Processing of Plant Raw Materials on the Reduction of Pesticide Residues in Finished Products

Abstract

Pesticides in food cause great harm to human health. Unfortunately, agricultural pests make their use unavoidable. However, special processing can lower the content of pesticides in plant products. The present article summarizes and systematizes the previously obtained data on the possible reduction of contaminant residues in plant products during various processing stages. The review featured 30 years of domestic and foreign publications on pesticides in Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, Springer, PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar. Proper technological processing can reduce the concentration of pesticides by 99%. However, particular physicochemical properties can lead to the accumulation of the xenobiotics, which may later transform into more dangerous compounds. Such cases require special operations to remove pesticides. Most contaminants usually remain on the surface. As a result, peeling and chemical washing seem to be the most effective method of anti-pesticide technological processing. These procedures can lower the amount of pesticides by 85% and more, if repeated. Eventually, the remaining pesticides fall below 7.5% of the initial content. The review structured information on the anti-pesticide procedures in food industry. By combining various methods, farmers can increase the biosafety of their products. Further research is prospective because the number of compounds used as pesticides continue to grow.

Keywords

• pesticides
• processing
• health risks
• xenobiotics
• agriculture
• biosecurity
• plant materials