|
 The mix outperformed Clorox-spiked water for getting rid of the
chemicals, and also worked better than plain water, Dr. Lili He of
the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and her colleagues found.
They reported their findings October 25 in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to kill bugs, fungi and
other produce-plaguing pests. They can hurt humans, too, but most of
us are exposed to amounts so tiny that they don’t pose a risk,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Many people try to limit their exposure to pesticides by washing
produce, but whether or not this does anything to remove them has
not been studied, Dr. He and her team note. They coated apples with
thiabendazole, a fungicide, or phosmet, which is used to kill a
variety of pests, and washed them with water or water mixed with
bleach or baking soda. The researchers used Gala apples because they
are widely consumed and also likely to contain a wide variety of
pesticides.
Using super-sensitive, high-tech tests, the researchers checked on
and within the apple for pesticides and measured pesticide
concentration within plant tissue. Rinsing the fruit in the baking
soda solution for 12 minutes was most effective for removing
thiabendazole, they found, while a 15-minute baking soda rinse was
most effective for getting rid of phosmet.
Some of the pesticide passed beyond the apple’s surface, with
thiabendazole going four times deeper than phosmet. None of the
washing methods could fully remove the residue.
[to top of second column] |
After harvest, the EPA requires apple producers to soak the fruit
for two minutes in bleach mixed with water. The quick dip is
intended to remove bacteria and other organic matter, not to wash
off pesticides, Dr. He noted in a telephone interview with Reuters
Health, but it would be ideal to find a post-harvest treatment that
would do both.
The baking soda solution is likely more effective because it can
help break apart pesticide molecules, the researcher said, and can
be used for washing other types of produce. How well it works
“depends on the structure of the fruits and vegetables, but it’s a
general method,” she added.
Dr. He and her colleagues used a concentration of about one teaspoon
of baking soda per two cups of water. But, she said, “You don’t need
to be precise, just adding a little bit is better than not adding
it.”
While deeper-penetrating pesticides could be removed by peeling an
apple, the researcher said, this would mean missing out on the
nutrient-rich skin. “It’s always been a two-sided story.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2lmjFOC Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry, online October 25, 2017.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
