Screening of fresh fruit and vegetables for pesticide residues on Croatian market

The aim of this study was to investigate pesticide residues in market foods in Croatia. A total of 240 samples of fresh fruit and vegetables from import and domestic production were analyzed. Pesticide resides were determined by gas chromatography with mass selective detector (GC–MSD). Sample extract was cleaned up using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In 66.7% of the samples no residues were found, 25.8% of samples contained pesticide residues at or below MRL, and 7.5% of samples contained pesticide residues above MRL. Most frequently found pesticides were imazalil (found in 35 samples) and chlorpyrifos (found in 24 samples). The findings of this study pointed to the following recommendations: the need for a monitoring program for pesticide residues in food crops, especially imported food crops.