Unraveling the Potential of Household Electrolytes on Extricating Imidacloprid Residues from Tomatoes: Toxicity Assessment

Abstract

Farmers that cultivate tomatoes use imidacloprid to combat sucking bugs even while the fruits are being harvested so that they can maintain a five- to six-time harvest. Decontaminating tomato fruits before eating is absolutely necessary due to the insecticide's slow dissipation rate and the fact that residues last in vegetables for 15–25 days. The quality of fruit has been compromised and cannot be used in salads, despite the fact that various heat procedures are effective in removing imidacloprid residue. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of common electrolytes, namely NaCl and NaHCO3, and their combinations, on imidacloprid removal from tomato fruits. Fruits and washing solutions were extracted for imidacloprid residue and determined using the UFLC-PDA besides optimizing the concentration and period of decontamination or washing without dietary risk. Results indicates that the washing of the fruits with NaCl @ 1, 2 and 3% solutions for 10 minutes are efficient (98-100% removal) in decontaminating to below hazard quotient when sprayed with recommended 20 g ai/ha. Whereas, the NaHCO3 or its combination with NaCl 1% for 10 minutes was found to be efficient (92-100%) in decontaminating the fruits when sprayed with 40 g ai/ha. Increasing the decontamination period beyond 10 minutes increased the residue load on fruits to above hazard quotient and was above 1.0 when NaCl was used. Study suggests the washing of tomato fruits with 2%NaHCO3 or 1%NaCl+2% NaHCO3 for 10 minutes is the efficient decontamination way and to ensure safety to the consumers.