Estimation of pesticide residues in table grapes by using gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

The grapes are being exported in increasing quantities from Maharashtra to European countries and a lot of pesticide inputs are being used by the growers. A total number of 578 grape samples collected from Nasik district during December, 2013 to April, 2014 and analyzed for 167 numbers of multi-class pesticide (Organophosphate, Triazine, Pyrimidine, Triazole, Imidazole, Benzimidazole, Nicotinoid, Substituted thiourea, Strobiluron, Dinitroaniline, Morpholine) residue levels using Liquid Chromatography-Mass spectrometry/Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry/Mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) by using validated methods. Only four samples were free from pesticide residues and rest were contaminated with 1-13 numbers of pesticides residue. During the study different classes of total 41 number of agro-chemicals had been detected and 116 number of samples were failed with residues of 4-Bromo-2-Chlorophenol, Abamectin,Carbendazim, Chlormequat Chloride , Chloropyriphos,Dinocap,Forchlorfenuron, Hexaconazole, Flusilazole, Profenophos, Spinosad, Thiacloprid, Triazophos, Fipronil and Acephate by exceeding their European Union MRLs.