Determination of Pesticides in Pepper by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

As in all agricultural products, vegetables can also have many diseases caused by weeds, bacterial and viral factors. Pesticides are used to reduce or control the adverse effects caused by such harmful organisms so they are used in agricultural activities worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine pesticide residues residues in pepper which is widely consumed in both Turkey and World, and assess their risks on human health. The samples of pepper to be analyzed within the scope of this study were collected randomly from the market, grocery, street market, in Siirt province. After performing the necessary pretreatments for the samples to be collected, the levels of pesticide residues were determined by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The determined levels were compared with the Turkish Food Codex and the limit values determined by the European Union and the risks for health will be investigated. In the first period, pesticide analyzes of pepper samples collected from the market and greengrocer in Siirt were made and the amounts of Pyrimethanil, bupirimate, diclofop-methyl, pyridaphention, dinoseb, pirimiphos_methyl and diazinon were 20.94± 15.19, 25.85± 6.94, 29.28±, 7.92, 28.95± 7.09, 27.54± 0.90, 22.70± 6.05, and 20.56± 5.53. respectively. In the second period, pesticide analyzes of pepper samples collected from four provinces were made and the amounts of Pyrimethanil, bupirimate, diclofop-methyl, pyridaphention, dinoseb, pirimiphos-methyl and diazinon were 27.76± 5.24, 27.65± 1.12, 29.40± 7.73, , 28.94± 0.95, 27.62± 1.22, 23.81±4.47 and 21.43± 4.09, respectively. When the pesticide analysis averages of the pepper samples collected in the first and second periods were examined, diclofob-methyl was found to be the highest with 29.36 ± 7.73 and the lowest with 21.14 ± 4.58. The maximum residue limits of pesticides specified in the Turkish food codex regulation were found to be below the maximum acceptable residue limit, pyrimethanil, buprimate and diclofob-methyl pesticides, and pyridaphantion, dinoseb, diazinon and pirimiphos-methyl pesticides were found to be above the limit.