Effect of Processing on Propineb Residues in Apple

Propineb (Antracol 70 WP) residues were estimated in raw apple fruits, decontaminated fruits and processed fruit products, after application @ 2.5 and 5.0 kg ai ha⁻¹ on fruit bearing apple trees. Initial deposits of 5.98 and 11.00 mg kg⁻¹ in/on fruits dissipated below the MRL (3 mg kg⁻¹) in 4.10 and 7.53 days, respectively. Washing, peeling and washing + peeling of fruits reduced the residues below MRL. Among different decontamination processes washing + peeling was found to be the best technique and resulted in 75.8–98.3% removal of residues. Also, washing of treated fruits in solutions like 2% (w/v) NaOH, 1% (w/v) sodium lauryl sulfate, 0.05% (v/v) HCI and 0.05% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate gave good relief from propineb residues i.e. 78.8–91.8, 66.7–79.3, 72.7–92.0 and 60.6–81.9%, respectively. Processing of one day old treated apple fruits into juice and jam reduced the residues to 0.07–0.13 mg kg⁻¹ in juice and non detectable ND (<0.01 mg kg⁻¹) - 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ in jam.