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. 2023 Jan 13:2023:5337150.
doi: 10.1155/2023/5337150. eCollection 2023.

Pesticide Residues and Unauthorized Dyes as Adulteration Markers in Chilli Pepper and Tomato

Edward Ken Essuman  1   2   3 , Ernest Teye  1   3 , Rosemond Godbless Dadzie  1 , Livingstone K Sam-Amoah  1
Affiliations

Pesticide Residues and Unauthorized Dyes as Adulteration Markers in Chilli Pepper and Tomato

Edward Ken Essuman et al. Int J Food Sci. .

Abstract

To assess the contamination of processed chilli pepper and tomatoes, a report over the past four decades since the establishment of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) was retrieved and analysed. Out of the 887 notification reports assessed for eligibility, 446 were found regarding chilli pepper and tomato contamination. This study identified India as the country of origin with the highest number of reported cases relating to chilli pepper contamination. Italy and Türkiye were the countries with the highest number of reported cases regarding the exportation of adulterated tomatoes to other countries according to the RASFF report. Unauthorized dyes such as Sudan I, III, IV, orange II, rhodamine B, and para red were reported to have been detected in either chilli pepper or tomato in the supply chain. Almost all unauthorized dyes in this study were found to be more than the range (0.5 to 1 mg/kg) of the detection limit of Sudan dye and other related dyes using analytical methods set by the European Union. Unapproved pesticides by the European Union (EU) found in this study were acetamiprid, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, methomyl, monocrotophos, omethoate, oxamyl, and thiophanate methyl. The present study indicates the persistence of chilli pepper and tomato contamination with harmful dyes and pesticide residues despite the ban on the use of certain chemicals in the food chain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of data identification and exclusion criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of notification reports per year for chilli pepper adulteration/fraud within the period 2003 to 2020.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of notification reports per year for tomato adulteration/fraud within the period 1980 to 2020.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Hazard notification trends as reported by the RASFF annual report. Source: RASFF annual report [28, 38, 39]. MYC = Mycotoxins; PeR = Pesticide residues; HM = Heavy metals; FAF = Food additives and flavourings; ALG = Allergens; CMP = Composition; FoB = Foreign bodies.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Structure formulae of some common names of azo dyes under study [19].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pesticide residue levels reported by RASFF of the European Union in chilli pepper.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pesticide residue levels reported by RASFF of the European Union in tomato.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Pesticide active ingredients of the organophosphate and organochlorine groups reported by RASFF of the European Union in processed chilli pepper and tomato.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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