Optical Screening Methods for Pesticide Residue Detection in Food Matrices: Advances and Emerging Analytical Trends

Abstract

Pesticides have been extensively used in agriculture to protect crops and enhance their yields, indicating the need to monitor for their toxic residues in foodstuff. To achieve that, chromatographic methods coupled to mass spectrometry is the common analytical approach, combining low limits of detection, wide linear ranges, and high accuracy. However, these methods are also quite expensive, time-consuming, and require highly skilled personnel, indicating the need to seek for alternatives providing simple, low-cost, rapid, and on-site results. In this study, we critically review the available screening methods for pesticide residues on the basis of optical detection during the period 2016–2020. Optical biosensors are commonly miniaturized analytical platforms introducing the point-of-care (POC) era in the field. Various optical detection principles have been utilized, namely, colorimetry, fluorescence (FL), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Nanomaterials can significantly enhance optical detection performance and handheld platforms, for example, handheld SERS devices can revolutionize testing. The hyphenation of optical assays to smartphones is also underlined as it enables unprecedented features such as one-click results using smartphone apps or online result communication. All in all, despite being in an early stage facing several challenges, i.e., long sample preparation protocols or interphone variation results, such POC diagnostics pave a new road into the food safety field in which analysis cost will be reduced and a more intensive testing will be achieved.

A novel electrochemical sensing platform based on the esterase extracted from kidney bean for high-sensitivity determination of organophosphorus pesticides

“… 4 These OPP residues can enter the body through the food chain and irreversibly inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), leading to the accumulation of acetylcholine in the nervous system and causing severe neurological dysfunction. 5 Additionally, OPPs can induce cancer and type II diabetes 6 and may affect the growth of children. 7 Hence, OPPs are classified as a highly toxic class of chemical compounds by the World Health Organization (WHO).…”

A Continuous Flow Injection/Indirect Photometric Method for the Detection of Fosetyl Aluminum in Commercial Pesticide Formulations

“…Nanomaterials can significantly enhance optical detection performance and handheld platforms, for example, handheld SERS devices can revolutionize testing. However, this technique is still new and is faced several challenges, i. e., interphone variation results and long sample preparation protocols [19] . Finally, ion chromatography [20–22] and parallel columns approaches were tested, however, these approaches increase the cost of the method [23]…”

“…However, this technique is still new and is faced several challenges, i. e., interphone variation results and long sample preparation protocols. [19] Finally, ion chromatography [20][21][22] and parallel columns approaches were tested, however, these approaches increase the cost of the method. [23] Flow injection-spectrophotometric technique is the most commonly used for determination of active pharmaceutical ingredients in their formulations, using this technique for pesticide determination is the most required in the field of pesticide determination.…”

Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables in Indonesia: findings of five-year proficiency testing

“…Meanwhile, there are challenges linked to pesticide residue analysis in agriculture products. Complexity of the matrices [ 13 – 17 ], a large number of target pesticides and samples [ 13 , 18 , 19 ], and low MRLs [ 20 ] are some of the main challenges. Here, sample preparation is the key for the analysis [ 14 , 15 , 17 ] since it removes most interferences related to the matrix complexity.…”