Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay

Strawberries are consumed worldwide mostly as fresh fruits. During strawberry cultivation, a wide scope of pesticides, primarily fungicides, is used to prevent pest attacks. Aiming to check the safety of strawberries in Uruguay, a first monitoring program (2019-2023) of pesticide and pesticide metab...

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Main Authors: Fiamma Pequeño, Sofía Barrios, Horacio Heinzen, María Verónica Cesio, Natalia Besil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de la República, Facultad de Agronomía 2025-01-01
Series:Agrociencia Uruguay
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Online Access:https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1518/1830
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author Fiamma Pequeño
Sofía Barrios
Horacio Heinzen
María Verónica Cesio
Natalia Besil
author_facet Fiamma Pequeño
Sofía Barrios
Horacio Heinzen
María Verónica Cesio
Natalia Besil
author_sort Fiamma Pequeño
collection DOAJ
description Strawberries are consumed worldwide mostly as fresh fruits. During strawberry cultivation, a wide scope of pesticides, primarily fungicides, is used to prevent pest attacks. Aiming to check the safety of strawberries in Uruguay, a first monitoring program (2019-2023) of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues was conducted. A validated QuEChERS CEN 15662 allowed the LC-MS/MS determination of 41 compounds and the screening of 13 of the most relevant pesticide metabolites. Fifty-eight commercial samples were analyzed; on average four compounds per sample were quantified. The range of concentration was 0.005 to 5 mg kg-1. Seven compounds: carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, cyproconazole, iprodione, prochloraz, pyriproxyfen and propamocarb, consistently exceeded their Maximum Residue Levels according to the European Union. The presence of chlorpyrifos, cyproconazole, prochloraz and pyriproxyfen indicates improper use. Fungicides were the most frequently detected pesticides. The main cyprodinil metabolite, CGA304075, was detected in 61% of cyprodinil-positive samples, without any violation. This study highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and rigorous regulatory controls to ensure the safety of strawberry consumption in Uruguay.
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spelling doaj-art-e24356e2453e4a4196ad2238aa02ae1a2025-08-20T02:53:19ZengUniversidad de la República, Facultad de AgronomíaAgrociencia Uruguay2730-50662025-01-0129e151810.31285/AGRO.29.1518Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in UruguayFiamma Pequeño0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6454-6692Sofía Barrios1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6221-195XHoracio Heinzen2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8985-478XMaría Verónica Cesio3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4334-8317Natalia Besil4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3687-0449Universidad de la República, Facultad de Química, Programa de Posgrado en Química, Montevideo, UruguayUniversidad de la República, Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Ingeniería Química, Tecnologías Aplicadas a Procesos Alimentarios, Montevideo, UruguayUniversidad de la República, CenUR Litoral Norte, Departamento de Química del Litoral, Paysandú, Uruguay Universidad de la República, CenUR Litoral Norte, PDU: Abordaje Holístico al Estudio del Impacto de Pesticidas en Alimentos y en el Ambiente, Paysandú, Uruguay Universidad de la República, CenUR Litoral Norte, Departamento de Química del Litoral, Paysandú, Uruguay Strawberries are consumed worldwide mostly as fresh fruits. During strawberry cultivation, a wide scope of pesticides, primarily fungicides, is used to prevent pest attacks. Aiming to check the safety of strawberries in Uruguay, a first monitoring program (2019-2023) of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues was conducted. A validated QuEChERS CEN 15662 allowed the LC-MS/MS determination of 41 compounds and the screening of 13 of the most relevant pesticide metabolites. Fifty-eight commercial samples were analyzed; on average four compounds per sample were quantified. The range of concentration was 0.005 to 5 mg kg-1. Seven compounds: carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, cyproconazole, iprodione, prochloraz, pyriproxyfen and propamocarb, consistently exceeded their Maximum Residue Levels according to the European Union. The presence of chlorpyrifos, cyproconazole, prochloraz and pyriproxyfen indicates improper use. Fungicides were the most frequently detected pesticides. The main cyprodinil metabolite, CGA304075, was detected in 61% of cyprodinil-positive samples, without any violation. This study highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and rigorous regulatory controls to ensure the safety of strawberry consumption in Uruguay.https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1518/1830monitoringstrawberriespesticide residuespesticide metaboliteslc­ms/ms
spellingShingle Fiamma Pequeño
Sofía Barrios
Horacio Heinzen
María Verónica Cesio
Natalia Besil
Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
Agrociencia Uruguay
monitoring
strawberries
pesticide residues
pesticide metabolites
lc­ms/ms
title Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
title_full Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
title_fullStr Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
title_full_unstemmed Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
title_short Survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in Uruguay
title_sort survey of pesticide and pesticide metabolite residues in strawberries marketed in uruguay
topic monitoring
strawberries
pesticide residues
pesticide metabolites
lc­ms/ms
url https://agrocienciauruguay.uy/index.php/agrociencia/article/view/1518/1830
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