Insecticide’s Disappearance after Field Treatment and during Processing into Byproducts

Abstract

Insecticide\'s disappearance after field treatments could be ascribed to different factors such as sunlight photodegradation, dilution effect due to fruit growth, co-distillation during fruit respiration and evaporation. Moreover, the epicuticular waxes could speed or slow down the degradation rate, and the cultivation in an open field or greenhouses could affect the residues dramatically. After harvest, the processing techniques to produce byproducts deeply influence insecticide residues. For example, fruit drying, winemaking, the industrial processing of tomatoes to produce purée, triple-concentrated paste, fine pulp, diced, olive processing to obtain table olive and olive oil, and other industrial applications on fruits affect residues and their half-life time. The scope of this chapter is to highlight the major factors responsible for the disappearance of insecticides after treatment. Moreover, the chapter intends to review the influence of the industrial processes on insecticide behaviour when the raw material is transformed into its byproducts.