From strawberry to jam : pesticide residues and polyphenolic content

Abstract

Eating 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day is recommended to keep one's health at its best. But considering that fruits and vegetables are sprayed with a variety of pesticides, is it really healthy for one to eat the recommended daily amount without any short or long term repercussion? According to many studies, pesticides have been related to a number of illnesses such as various forms of cancers, dermal and neurological diseases. The people who are most exposed to these toxic chemicals are farmers who apply pesticides to their cultivated fields. People who consume vegetables and fruit especially vegetarians, are also exposed to these chemicals (on a lesser scale) as traces of pesticides are still present on food. The aim of this research is to test locally grown strawberries for the presence of Carbamate and Organophosphate pesticides using a pesticide test kit that detects these classes of chemicals by a colorimetric reaction. For this experiment fresh strawberries were bought from 3 different farmers which were tested separately. Strawberries from each source were processed into a jam. This was done to determine if pesticides break down when exposed to high temperatures. The results obtained showed that all fresh strawberries from all three sources tested positive to the presence of pesticides. Another test that was performed on these strawberries was the Folin-Ciocalteu to determine the polyphenolic and anthocyanin levels in the strawberries.