PESTICIDE RESIDUES EVALUATION IN BRAZILIAN BASIC DIET: RICE AND BEAN

Rice and bean constitute the basic diet in underdeveloped countries. In Brazil, the acquisition per capita of these aliments is around 182.9 g/day (beans) and 160.3 g/day (rice). In the present work were evaluated the pesticide residue contamination on these aliments, and possible risks for the consumer health. Pesticide residues were evaluated in 364 bean samples and 143 rice samples commercialized in Sao Paulo City (BRAZIL). A multi-residue method (DFG S19) was employed with gas and liquid chromatography identification and quantification. Dietary intake estimation was processed using the Acute Dietary Ingestion (ADI) based on national data regarding food consumption. Residues of pesticides that, according to the Brazilian legislation, are not allowed for this culture were detected respectively in 4.5% and 3.6% of the bean and rice samples. However, none of the samples had pesticide residues above the Maximum Residue Level (MRL). The European Union (EU) database showed that 7.3% of the bean sample and 85.7% of rice presented pesticide residues above the MRL. The toxicological parameter used for assessing the risk of contamination (ADI <100%) was not exceeded in none of the commodities. The results do not pose a hazard for the consumer’s health. Nevertheless, the presence of multiple residues indicates that continuous studies and monitoring of these commodities are required.