DEVELOPING A BIO-BASED WASHING SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE CYPERMETHRIN RESIDUES ON FRUITS
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Date
2021-01-20
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UMT.Lahore
Abstract
Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are a major health concern around the world.
Some of these pesticide residues are toxic and can become a major cause of various
diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, lung, endocrine, and nervous system damage,
reproductive, and circulatory problems. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness
of saponins from alfalfa (Medicago sativa) seeds along with tap water, sodium bicarbonate,
and citric acid. Cypermethrin was applied at the concentration of 1000 µL/L on apples.
After washing the apples with varying concentrations of various washing solutions,
cypermethrin residues were analyzed using UV/VIS spectrophotometer at 535 nm
wavelength. Maximum residual removal of sodium bicarbonate, tap water, citric acid was
84.93, 56.28, and 77.55 % respectively. Saponins exhibits a maximum of 13.90 % of
residual removal which was not as effective as other washing agents. Moreover, it was
observed that alkaline condition was more suitable for residual degradation. Therefore,
sodium bicarbonate was more effective compared to other washing agents in mitigating the
residual degradation of cypermethrin. Furthermore, results showed that an increasing trend
in residual degradation of cypermethrin was observed upon increasing the concentration of
washing agent as well as washing time.