Eight added values that pesticide testing offers you

1. Organic farming

Besides the consideration of maximum residue levels, the mere presence of an active ingredient in the product is already critical for the assessment of organic products. Since there are strict regulations for the production and processing of organic products according to EU Organic Farming Regulation (EU) 2018/848 in conjunction with Regulation (EU) 2021/1165, the detection of a plant protection product can already be a reason to take appropriate actions according to Article 28 (2). In addition to the level of the finding, the type and effect of the detected active substance, the degree of processing of the product and the knowledge of the supply chain play a major role.

2. Herbicides

Herbicides are active substances that are used to kill unwanted plants, so-called weeds, as they compete with the crop plant. Furthermore, these weeds can lead to contamination, which affects the product through a proportion of plant parts foreign to the species or through the increased content of undesirable substances (e.g. pyrrolizidine alkaloids). The use of (total) herbicides to kill weeds is one of several options for weed management. Therefore, when herbicides are found, they should be considered in the overall context of contamination from weeds. This is especially serious when other weed control measures are limited due to current circumstances (e.g. pandemic-related restrictions resulting in fewer workers on the field), making manual weed control but also manual harvesting and presorting more difficult.

3. Disinfectants

Food hygiene plays an important role during food processing. Contamination with microorganisms can lead to premature spoilage of food or, in the worst case, to a contamination with pathogenic germs. On the other hand, germ reduction measures of raw materials as well as the use of disinfectants by employees or on machines can lead to residues in the food (e.g. chlorate or quaternary ammonium compounds). Even if such measures are unavoidable to ensure product quality, these residues may indicate improper and unauthorised use, depending on the operation mode.

4. Fumigants/storage protection agents

Certain active ingredients are used primarily or exclusively after harvest as storage protection agents (e.g. ethylene oxide, sulfuryl fluoride). Especially in times of disrupted supply chains, longer storage times are sometimes unavoidable. The likelihood of using storage protection agents increases with the length of the storage period. Findings of such agents are an indication of storage protection measures and can be checked for plausibility as part of the supplier audit. Accordingly, specific measures must be taken to minimise these residues obtained during the analysis of crop protection products. If these measures are not documented correctly, the supplier's document system should be reviewed and possibly the supplier should be classified as critical in terms of risk assessment.

5. Multiple residues

In addition to the level of an active ingredient residue, the simultaneous finding of many active ingredients in a sample is also significant. Apart from the health effects of multiple residues in food, which have not yet been fully researched, their presence can indicate whether the raw material is batch-pure or mixed from many individual batches. If different active ingredients are used in the cultivation of the individual batches, this could mean that although each individual active ingredient in the mixed batch has a low concentration, the absolute number of active ingredients is increased.

6. Origin

Certain active substances are used predominantly or more frequently in certain countries and regions of the world. On the one hand, this has to do with the authorisation, on the other hand also with the availability as well as with the necessity of the application (e.g. due to climatic conditions). Therefore, the presence of one or more specific active ingredients can also help to confirm the origin of the raw material or to investigate the claim more closely by means of audits, plausibility checks or isotope analysis.

7. Authenticity

Some active substances are used specifically on certain plants because of their mode of action. This group includes, for example, some growth regulators such as chlormequat, which is very frequently used in cereals. In addition to the indication of possible contamination of organic products (see item 1), a finding in potato flour, for example, could indicate mixing with cereal flour. This can be further checked within the framework of quality control by supplier audits or by alternative analyses (e.g. DNA via PCR).

8. Other multiple-source residues

Some substances that are used in plant protection or originate from the use of plant protection products through metabolisation or as co-formulants are not always easy to classify in the context of the legal requirements for maximum residue levels. This also applies, for example, to the use of disinfectants, which are used as plant protection products as well. These substances can also provide indications of the type of processing, storage or transport of the product. For example, the presence of 2-phenylphenol, biphenyl and anthraquinone may also indicate contact with smoke.