This Simple Household Item Removes 96% Of Pesticides From Fruit

Leave a CommentThis Simple Household Item Removes 96% Of Pesticides From FruitFamily, Food, Health, Way of Life

A 2017 study conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, led by Lili He, tested methods for removing pesticide residues from apples. The study, titled “Effectiveness of Commercial and Homemade Washing Agents in Removing Pesticide Residues on and in Apples,” was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

It’s an old school remedy for cleaning field fruit and veggies, and it turns out it’s still relevant today.

Key Details from the Study:

Methods

Organic Gala apples were treated with high concentrations of two pesticides—thiabendazole (a fungicide) and phosmet (an insecticide)—at 125 ng/cm² for 24 hours to simulate post-harvest exposure. The apples were then washed using various agents, including tap water, a commercial bleach solution (Clorox at 25 mg/L), and a homemade sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution at 10 mg/mL (about 1%). Washing times varied, with effectiveness measured using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping for surface residues and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for internalized residues.

Findings

– Baking soda solution was the most effective for removing surface residues compared to tap water or bleach.
– After 12–15 minutes of soaking in the baking soda solution, it removed 100% of the surface residues for both pesticides.
– However, some pesticides penetrated the apple peel: about 20% of thiabendazole (systemic pesticide) and 4.4% of phosmet (non-systemic pesticide).
– Overall removal (surface + accounting for penetration): approximately 80% of thiabendazole and 96% of phosmet.
– Tap water removed only about 20–60% of surface residues, while bleach was less effective than baking soda and didn’t degrade the pesticides.
– The study noted that baking soda helps degrade the pesticides, aiding removal, but it can’t eliminate internalized residues. Peeling the apples removes more but also discards beneficial nutrients.

You can access the full paper via its DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b03118.