Postharvest-applied agrochemicals and their residues in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Abstract

Many agrochemicals are applied postharvest on fruits and vegetables to extend their lives and preserve quality during storage, transport, and marketing. Persistence and distribution of residues on the edible portions of produce have been reported for citrus fruits, pome fruits, stone fruits, mangos, strawberries, bananas, kiwi fruits, avocados, some minor fruit commodities, and bell peppers and tomatoes. Data on the persistance and residues of the fungicides benomyl, biphenyl, sec-butylamine, captan, carbendazim, dicloran, fosetyl-aluminum, guazatine, imazalli, iprodione, metalaxyl, o-phenylphenol, prochloraz, thiabendazole, thiophanate-methyl, triadimeton, and vinclozolin, the fumigants ethylene dibromide, methyl bromide, and sulfur dioxide, the insecticides dimethoate and fenthion, the antiscald compounds diphenylamine and ethoxyquin, and the growth regulators 2,4-D and daminozide are presented and discussed.