Determination of pesticide residues in strawberries in Mersinusing LC-MS/MS, and health risk assessment

Pesticide applications are widely used by producers in fruit and vegetable cultivation to enhance yield, improve product quality, control pests, and prolong post-harvest shelf life. Despite their agronomic benefits, these chemicals can pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Therefore, conducting residue analyses is critical for identifying and monitoring such risks. In this study, 557 pesticide active substances were screened in 229 strawberry samples. Method validation was conducted for parameters such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), recovery, precision (repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility), and measurement uncertainty. All validation results complied with the criteria outlined in the SANTE/11312/2021 guidance document. Sample extraction was performed using the QuEChERS method, and chromatographic analyses were conducted via LC-MS/MS. Pesticide residue levels detected in the samples were evaluated based on the European Union Maximum Residue Limits (EU-MRLs). Residues of 16 different pesticides were detected in 52 out of 229 samples.