Pesticides are chemical or biological agents that are employed in agricultural food production to protect cultivated plants from harmful sources such as weeds, plant diseases, and insects. Pesticides play a delicate role in agriculture because they are needed to protect crops, but they may also be hazardous to the environment and people's health. Pesticides are frequently used in today's agricultural ecosystem to meet the increased demand for food and fiber. Pesticides are now required for pest management in crops, particularly fruits and vegetables. Following the harvest of raw agricultural products, the subsequent handling, storage, and processing have a significant impact on the amount of pesticide residues found in food.
If food costs rise and pesticide residues in agricultural products don't stop, fresh fruits and vegetables may soon become a luxury for people who can afford chemical-free and organic goods. Effective enforcement of appropriate agricultural and industry practices would lower pesticide residue levels to below the applicable maximum residue level. Hence, it would be acceptable to eat fruit and vegetables that are fresh or cooked. However, end users' concerns over the negative consequences of agrochemical residues have been upraised by media floors about pesticide residues in fruit or vegetables. Although the pesticides sprayed on fruits and vegetables on fields are out of our hands as customers, there are a few easy do-it-yourself approaches that can greatly reduce the residues. Dietary Guidelines for Indians were already given by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). The recommendations have provided some straightforward actions that every family should take to eliminate any remaining pesticide contamination. Every family needs to appliance these simple activities.
Techniques for pesticide residues reduction
Peeling / Trimming
As most pesticides were sprayed directly to the crops with little penetration into the cuticle, peeling off fruit skin or clipping the outer layers of some vegetables is the most effective technique to reduce pesticide residues. Peeling can get rid of systemic and contact pesticides that show up on the outside of fruits and vegetables.
Rinsing/ Washing
Before consumption, fruits and vegetables are always washed. Using flowing water, you can wash or rinse away dust and pesticide residue from surfaces. By washing in cold water, you can get clear of more than 75% of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. Fruits including grapes, apples, guavas, plums, mangoes, peaches, and pears, as well as fruity vegetables like tomatoes, brinjal, and okra, need two to three washings to remove the pesticide residues on their surfaces. Fruits and vegetables can be effectively cleaned of pesticide residues by being washed in ozonated water.
Soaking
Fruits and vegetables are soaked when they are submerged in a large volume of water or a combination of water and various chemicals and left there for a fixed time period.
a. Soaking in water: Fruits and vegetables are soaked in regular water before their consumption.
b. Soaking in chemical bath: Various chemicals, such as salts, acetic acid (vinegar), caustic soda (baking powder), detergents, hydrogen peroxide, perchlorate, permanganate etc., are added to the soaking water to improve the solubility of pesticide into water.
Boiling
Boiling involves submerging fruits and vegetables in water for a short time, allowing them to cool to room temperature and repeating the process. This process significantly decreases the pesticide residues.
Blanching
In order to blanch vegetables, you must swiftly submerge them in boiling water for a particular period of time, and then place them in a bowl of icy water (ice bath). Blanching can efficiently remove some pesticide residues. However, it is crucial to carefully pre-wash the fruits and vegetables before blanching.
Conclusion
Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables can be reduced by peeling or trimming the outer layers of some fruits and vegetables, washing with cold water, regular water or ozonized water, soaking in water or some treated water (salt, acetic acid, caustic soda, detergent, etc.), boiling fruits and vegetables for a particular period of time and blanching fruits and vegetables.
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