Determination of pesticide residues in dill, parsley and rocket

Pesticides are important problem that negatively affects food safety in green leafy vegetables and may cause health problems depending on the degree of danger. In this study, 368 pesticide residues were monitored in dill, rocket and parsley samples. Between May-July 2021, 80 pieces of dill, 80 pieces of rocket and 40 pieces of parsley were purchased from markets, greengrocer shops and bazaar in Çorum province. The extraction of pesticides was based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method. The residues in dill, rocket and parsley were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS ) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 43 different pesticides were detected in 130 (65%) green leafy vegetable samples (n=200). Residues of 32 different pesticides were found in 46 of 80 dill samples. The most common pesticide found in dill samples was pendimethalin (22.5%) with the ranges of 0.016-0.077 mg kg-1. At least one pesticide residue in measurable concentrations was found in 61 rocket samples (n=80). Diuron (38.7%) and acetamiprid (30%) were the most common residues in rocket samples. The concentration range for diuron and acetamiprid in rocket samples varied from 0.010 to 0.042 and from 0.010 to 0.471 mg kg-1, respectively. At least one pesticide detected in measurable concentrations was found in 23 of the parsley samples (n=40). Pymetrozine was the most common residue (52.5%) in parsley, with the levels of 0.016-2.437 mg kg-1.