ABSTRACT
This review focuses on the concentration of multi-pesticide residues in commonly consumed species of vegetable and fruit samples based on survey carried out by various institutions from different parts of India during the period 2008 to 2013 and the methods that have been adopted for their analysis. Organophosphorus pesticide residues have been detected in most of the vegetable samples, such as potato, tomato, onion, okra, brinjal, cabbage, and cauliflower, and fruit samples, such as apple, banana, mango, and grapes. On the basis of the survey, it was observed that a number of methods have been used for the analysis of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits, but these methods are unable to identify targeted compounds and specific pesticide residues and also are time consuming. These problems associated with traditional analytical techniques can be overcome by the use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry that has high sensitivity and high selectivity toward multi-pesticide residue analysis.
