Effect of commercial processing on pesticide residues in selected fruits and vegetables.

Commercial food processing operations such as washing, blanching, and cooking remove major portions of the pesticide residues that are currently permitted on the raw agricultural crop. These unit operations are reviewed for selected products, along with degree of residue removal at each step. For example, washing plus peeling removes 99% of carbaryl and malathion residues from tomatoes. Washing removes 83% of benomyl residue from tomatoes and further processing reduces the residue by 98% in tomato puree and catsup. Even in the most concentrated fraction from tomatoes (tomato paste), residues were below the initial level in the raw product.