Target vs non-target analysis to determine pesticide residues in fruits from Saudi Arabia and influence in potential risk associated with exposure

The occurrence of pesticide residues in fruits was determined by a target method for 62 analytes and a wide scope screening method against a database of 500 pesticides. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were from 0.5 to 6.3 μg kg−1 for the target method and from 0.5 to 119 μg kg−1 for the non-target. Thirty samples: dates, apples, oranges, tangerines, lemons and grapefruits were selected because their high consumption, except lemons and grapefruits that were to cover all citrus fruits. Using the target method, 15 compounds (mostly insecticides and fungicides) out of 62 pesticides (organophosphorus, carbamates, pyrethroids, chloroacetanilides, triazines, triazoles, imidazoles, etc.) were detected. Residues were in 100% of the samples, 80% contained at or below maximum residue limits (MRLs), and 20% above. Non-target method identified several additional pesticides (cypronil, fludioxonil, boscalid and pyraclostrobin in apples). The highest acute risk were for acrinathrin, chlorpyrifos and imazalil with estimated short-term intake (ESTI) > 100% acute reference dose (ARfD), followed by imidacloprid and thiabendazole with ESTI ≥ 70% ARfD. The higher chronic risk were for ethion and fluvalinate with estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of 8.8 and 1.5% of the admissible daily intake (ADI), respectively.The financial support from the Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program (DSFP) from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia is gratefully acknowledged.Peer reviewe