Translocation of Pesticide Residues in Tomato, Mango and Pineapple Fruits

Pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables have become a major concern associated with chemical food safety issues. Translocation of pesticides in tomato, mango and pineapple fruits in locally produced samples was investigated using gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometer (GC/MS) procedures. Samples were fractionated with respect to distance from the skin to the core and prepared for analysis. Results showed that organochlorine, organophosphate and synthetic pyrethroid residues were translocated in all fruit samples analyzed. With respect to tomato fractions, the peels retained more residues compared to the pulp and the central core. In the chemical species, organochlorines were retained more in the peels of tomato than the other fractions of the fruit. More organophosphate and organochlorine residues were detected in pineapple peels compared to the pulp. Synthetic pyrethroid residues were evenly distributed in the pineapple fruit. In mangoes, the pulp retained more chemical residues than other fractions of the fruit. More organochlorine residues were retained in the pulp of mango than in the other fractions of the fruit. Synthetic pyrethroid residues were evenly distributed throughout the mango fruit. All the chemical species identified were translocatable across the fractional parts of all the fruits. There were significant differences in translocation and residue accumulation of pesticides among the fractional parts of all samples.