ACLIVIA: a novel rapid testing kit for pesticide residue in green tea leaf

Ensuring the accurate trace-level detection of pesticide residues in tea leaves is crucial for maintaining safety, meeting international trade standards and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. A study was undertaken to validate the performance of ACLIVIA, an AI-powered molecular recognition platform developed by Arogyam Medisoft Solution Pvt Ltd, in detecting residues of monocrotophos, acephate, acetamiprid, imidacloprid, dinotefuran and fipronil in freshly plucked tea leaves. These pesticides account for ca 90% of the total non-compliance of made tea in India.

ACLIVIA requires 10 min for sample preparation and 2-4 min for analysis for identification of these pesticides. The validation was conducted through laboratory studies at TLabs, Tea Research Association, Kolkata, as well as field trials at tea estates managed by Luxmi Tea Company. A total of 332 samples, with pesticide residue levels ranging from 0 to 0.1 mg kg^-1, were tested. ACLIVIA demonstrated high efficiency, achieving 94.12-100% sensitivity, 94.4-100% specificity, 95.52-96.92% accuracy and with a limit of detection at 0.005 mg kg^-1. Additionally, the platform showed minimal interference from other pesticides. Field trials further confirmed that semi-skilled workers could be trained to operate the analyzer effectively within couple of days, making it suitable for use at factory level.

These results highlight ACLIVIA's potential to revolutionize the tea industry by offering a fast, affordable (Rs150 or US$1.70 per sample testing cost) and reliable solution for detecting pesticide residues in green tea leaves. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.