Pesticide Analysis Techniques, Limitations, and Applications

Abstract

Natural or synthetic chemical compounds in pesticides are commonly used to kill pests or weeds. In general, pesticides are potentially toxic to not only organisms but also the environment and should be used safely disposed of expediently. Pesticide residues in foods may cause various crucial diseases in the body. The damage of pesticides can be changed depending on the application dose or type of active compounds. For this reason, identification and quantification of pesticides via highly selective, sensitive, accurate, and renewable techniques are of vital importance due to the large amounts of possible interfering substances during the extraction stages. Analysis of pesticide residues by analytical methods can be fluctuate based on the pesticide types. For food and health safety, maximum residue limits (MRL) of pesticides in foods were determined by the European Community. There are many analytical methods developed for identification and quantification of pesticides. Although there are some limitations, the multi-residue methods sensible for analyzing a great number of pesticides in one single run is the fastest, the most favorite, and efficient choice. However, some of the pesticides need specific methodologies and single-residue methods apply as compulsory for them. In this chapter, recent advances in the various analysis of pesticide residues in crops and their applications and limitations are discussed.