Pesticide | EUROLAB

What Is Pesticides?

Pesticide residue analysis is the determination of residues left in food by plant protection products used in agricultural production. The common approach is the multiple residue method (QuEChERS), which screens hundreds of active substances in a single preparation; measurement is done by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS.

Purpose of Pesticides

The aim is to show whether residue levels remain below the maximum residue limits (MRL) in the legislation, to document compliance with the list of the receiving country in exports, and to verify that there are no residues in organic production.

Which Products Is Pesticides Applied To?

Fresh fruits and vegetables
Cereals and legumes
Dried fruit, tea and spices
baby foods
Olive oil and vegetable oils

In Which Sectors Is Pesticides Used?

FoodDrinkAgricultureRetailYemExport

Standards Related to Pesticides

EN 15662 (QuEChERS — multiple residues in foods of plant origin)
SANTE/11312 (EU analytical quality control guideline)
EU 396/2005 (maximum residue limits)
Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides

Pesticides Conditions

Method: QuEChERS extraction; Measurement with LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS
Scope: Laboratory verified active ingredient list — the requested list is confirmed in advance
Quality control: Matrix spiked recovery and blank sample in each batch
Reporting limit: Values below the reporting limit determined by method validation are given as 'not detected'

Equipment for Pesticides

Analytical balance and homogenizer
Sample preparation apparatus (extraction, filtration, concentration)
Kromatografi veya spektrometri sistemi
Temperature controlled storage and conditioning cabinets

Sample Requirements for Pesticides

The sample should be taken to be homogeneous and representative of the lot.
For analytes that are sensitive to light or oxygen, a dark colored and tightly closed container should be used.
The sample amount varies with the number of analytes; If more than one analysis is requested, the total amount increases.
The product name, list of ingredients and declared value, if any, must be provided with the sample.

Duration of Pesticides

Multiple residue screening usually takes several business days. Matrices that require low reporting limits, such as baby food, add additional verification time.

Pesticides Procedure

1The sample is accepted as a whole and homogenized in accordance with the legislation.
2Extraction is done using the QuEChERS method.
3The extract is purified with a dispersive solid phase.
4It is delivered to LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS systems.
5The detected substances are confirmed with verification ions.
6Results are reported in mg/kg with measurement uncertainty.

Pesticides Acceptance Criteria

The legislation, not the method, determines whether the result will be considered appropriate or not. The relevant communiqué of the Turkish Food Codex, EU 2073/2005 and 1881/2006 and the specification of the buyer company define different limits depending on the product group; The report gives the measured value and takes the limit from the applicable legislation.

Evaluation of Results

The result is compared with the MRL value of the product-active ingredient pair. In EU practice, measurement uncertainty is taken into account when making decisions. MRL of the same product may vary depending on the country of export; The evaluation should be made according to the target market.

Pesticides Report

Sample description, batch/lot information and arrival conditions
Sampling method (if taken by the laboratory)
Applied analysis method and reference standard
Analysis date and incubation conditions, if any
Result and its unit
Measurement uncertainty (if requested)
A statement that the result applies only to the specimen submitted for testing

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Turkish Food Codex Regulation and related product communiqués
EU 1881/2006 — maximum limits of contaminants in food
Turkish Food Codex Labeling and Consumer Information Regulation

Food Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Pesticides test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Food testing shows that a product is safe for consumption and contains what its label states. The family works along three axes: microbiological safety, chemical safety and nutritional composition. All three require different laboratory infrastructure, a different body of methods and a different turnaround time.

The most distinctive feature of the field is TIME PRESSURE. A steel specimen can wait on a shelf; a raw milk or fresh meat sample cannot. The time the sample was taken, the transport temperature and how long it takes to reach the laboratory directly determine the validity of the result. In food microbiology the cold chain record is therefore an inseparable part of the test report.

On the microbiological side there are two different questions and they must not be confused. DETECTION of a pathogen is a qualitative question: is Salmonella present in the sample or not? ENUMERATION of indicator organisms is a quantitative question and an indicator of production hygiene. The absence of a pathogen in a product does not show that hygiene is good; if the total mesophilic aerobic count is high, there is a problem in the process.

On the chemical side, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, additives, veterinary drug residues and process contaminants (acrylamide, furan, PAH) are measured. Multi-residue methods in this area (QuEChERS-based LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) can screen hundreds of active substances in a single analysis; limits are defined separately for each product–substance pair.

On the composition side, protein, fat, moisture, ash, fibre, sugar profile, fatty acid composition, vitamin and mineral content are determined. These values are the basis of the nutrition declaration on the label and the tolerance ranges are defined in legislation — the difference between the declared value and the measured value must stay within that tolerance.

There is NO CE marking on food, and this shapes how the field works. Conformity is demonstrated through operating a HACCP-based food safety system, complying with labelling rules and not exceeding contaminant, residue and microbiological limits. A test result produces evidence not for a certificate but for a functioning system.

Allergen management carries particular weight. The presence of an undeclared allergen in a product is one of the most frequent causes of food recalls. Analysis here runs together with cleaning validation: it is shown that the line has been cleaned adequately after a production run containing an allergen and that the risk of cross-contamination is under control.

Voluntary schemes have become effectively mandatory in this field. Retail chains require their suppliers to hold a certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000); without it, getting onto the shelf is practically impossible.

Method groups in this field

Pathogen detection
Detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Cronobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; culture-based and molecular methods.
Indicator counts
Total mesophilic aerobic count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts and moulds, lactic acid bacteria, sulphite-reducing Clostridia.
Pesticide and veterinary residues
Multi-residue screening by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS with QuEChERS extraction.
Mycotoxins and contaminants
Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, patulin; heavy metals (ICP-MS), acrylamide and PAH compounds.
Nutritional composition
Kjeldahl protein, fat and fatty acid profile, moisture, ash, dietary fibre, sugar profile, vitamin and mineral analyses.
Allergens and authenticity
Gluten, milk, egg, nut and soy allergen analyses; molecular methods for species identification and adulteration detection.

Commonly confused in this field

Sampling is half the result. A sample transported at the wrong temperature or delayed gives an invalid result even if it is analysed correctly in the laboratory.
The absence of a pathogen does not show that hygiene is good; indicator counts give separate information and the two are read together.
A result from a sample taken from a lot can be generalised to the whole lot only if the sampling plan was set up statistically.
Limits are defined in separate regulations by product group and are updated regularly; a conformity decision based on an outdated limit table may be wrong.
For exports, the limits of the destination country may differ from EU limits; the same product may be compliant in one market and non-compliant in another.

Which decisions these results support

Verification of the HACCP plan and process monitoring
The basis for the nutrition declaration and allergen information on the label
Health certificates before export and compliance with destination market limits
Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
Shelf-life studies and determining storage conditions
Producing evidence for audits under GFSI-recognised schemes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Pesticides

Does the presence of residue mean that the product is unsafe?

No. MRL is not a toxicology limit, but the expected upper limit of good agricultural practices. A residue below the MRL is regulatory; Overshoot primarily indicates an application error.

Why is the screening list confirmed in advance?

Each laboratory validates its method for specific active ingredients. An item not on the list will not be scanned; Therefore, the list desired by the target market should be compared before analysis.