The Food Division of Analytical Group has achieved accreditation for testing polar pesticides in high-water-content plant-based foods, a category that includes a wide range of fruits and vegetables such as kiwi, apples, peaches, grapes, wine, and tomatoes.
Key Pesticides Under Focus:
- Glyphosate: The world’s most widely used herbicide, glyphosate, has been classified by the IARC as a ‘probable carcinogen,’ sparking extensive studies and debates.
- Fosetyl: This systemic fungicide is under scrutiny due to recent European and Italian regulatory developments. Regulation (EU) 2022/93 sets maximum residue levels (MRLs) for conventional agriculture for Fosetyl-Al, defined as the sum of fosetyl, phosphonic acid, and their salts, expressed as fosetyl.
In Italy, DM n.7264 of July 10, 2020 (MIPAAF), stipulates the following limits to classify a product as ‘organic’:
- Phosphonic acid (in the absence of fosetyl or ethyl phosphonic acid): < 0.05 mg/kg
- Fosetyl or ethyl phosphonic acid: < 0.01 mg/kg
Using high-sensitivity instruments (LC/MS/MS) and the QuPPE 1.9 method from 2021, we have adopted a reporting limit (RL) of 0.01 mg/kg for all analytes, corresponding to the LOQ verified during validation.
This new accreditation supplements our existing multi-residual pesticide testing capabilities. Our laboratory was already accredited for high-starch and protein plant-based foods and those with low water and fat content, including their processed forms (such as cereals, dried legumes, animal feed, bread, pasta, and baked goods).
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