14C-carbaryl residues in hazelnut

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Food Safety

Background:

• Pesticide residues in food crops are a significant concern for consumer health and agricultural trade.
• Understanding the fate of insecticides in crops like hazelnuts is crucial for risk assessment.
• The Black Sea region in Turkey is a major producer of hazelnuts, necessitating local residue studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the distribution and fate of carbaryl insecticide residues in Turkish hazelnuts.
• To quantify the amount of radioactivity in the edible kernel versus inedible parts of the hazelnut.
• To identify the presence of carbaryl and its metabolites in hazelnut kernel and oil.

Main Methods:

• Field application of 14C-carbaryl to hazelnut shrubs in Turkey.
• Separation of harvested nuts into husk, shell, and kernel components.
• Analysis of radioactivity using combustion, methanol extraction, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
• Extraction and analysis of crude hazelnut oil for total 14C-residue.

Main Results:

• A total of 1.3% of applied radioactivity was recovered from harvested hazelnuts.
• The majority of 14C-residues (95.7%) were found in the inedible husk and shell.
• The edible kernel contained only 4.3% of the total recovered 14C-residues.
• Terminal residues in hazelnut kernel and oil did not contain carbaryl or its metabolite naphthol.

Conclusions:

• Carbaryl insecticide residues are predominantly located in the inedible parts of hazelnuts.
• The edible portion of hazelnuts shows low contamination, suggesting a favorable safety profile regarding carbaryl.
• These findings support the safety of consuming hazelnuts treated with carbaryl, provided residues are primarily in non-edible components.