Multi-Class Pesticide Residues and Their Associated Dietary Health Risks from Tomato and Aubergine/Eggplant; the Highly Consumed Vegetables in Pakistan

Abstract An analytical method was optimized and validated for the routine analysis of eighteen commonly used and widely reported pesticides in Tomato and Aubergine/Eggplant. Acetate-buffered QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) extraction with PSA (primary secondary amines) cleanup through dispersive SPE (solid phase extraction) was employed. The analytical method was validated at three spiking levels (0.05, 0.01, 0.005mg/Kg) using GC-µECD (gas chromatograph-micro electron capture detector). GC-MSD (gas chromatograph-mass spectrometric detector) was used for both confirmation and quantification using SIM (selective ion monitoring) mode. The LOD and LOQ (limit of detection and quantification) for the studied compounds ranged from 0.0025 to 0.01mg/Kg. The recoveries ranged from 72 – 129% and 70 - 122% with an associated precision (%RSD) of -30 – 23% and -27 – 30%, in Tomato and Aubergine/Eggplant, respectively. The method was applied to fresh samples of Tomato (n = 33) and Aubergine/Eggplant (n = 27) collected from local markets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Over 76% of the Tomato and 56% of the Aubergine/Eggplant samples were found positive. The chronic and acute health risk assessments have shown that both of these vegetables are unlikely to pose any unacceptable health threat to their consumers.