Captan and fenitrothion dissipation in field-treated cauliflowers and effect of household processing

Field trial studies have been performed with captan and fenitrothion on cauliflower to propose maximum residue limits and to study the dissipation of the pesticides. Residue levels have been determined at different times following good laboratory practice using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. The behaviour of residue levels of these compounds after household processing has been analysed using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Seven days after treatment, residue levels of captan could be detected, but not of fenitrothion. The half-lives of dissipation for captan and fenitrothion were calculated as 0.9 and 1.8 days respectively. Washing did not significantly affect the residual amounts of captan and fenitrothion observed in raw vegetables; however, after cooking, captan had degraded completely, whereas residue levels of fenitrothion were not modified significantly.