Ozone Treatment for the Removal of Residual Chlorothalonil and Effects on the Quality of Table Grapes

Due to uncontrolled use of pesticides and disregard for harvest intervals, some pesticide residue is present in various foods. Treatments using ozone as an alternative for food decontamination have been studied in recent years due to ozone’s high oxidation potential even at low concentrations. The present work aimed to evaluate chlorothalonil removal from table grapes by the immersion of fruit in distilled water continuously bubbled with ozone gas. This strategy allowed the removal of 60% of chlorothalonil from table grapes (pulp and skin), regardless of ozone concentration. Ozone treatment of table grapes at a gas concentration of 3 mg L−1 changed most of the quality parameters evaluated. Treatment at 2 mg L−1 maintained the fruit quality for a longer storage period compared to the untreated control table grapes.