Extraction procedures and chromatography of pesticides residues in strawberries

The importance of food quality has become a crucial issue due to the widespread use of pesticides in agriculture. The frequent use of pesticides has resulted in contamination of the environmental, fruit crops and also caused potential risk to human health. Strawberries are at the top of the list of fruits with the highest concentration of pesticides. To date, several analytical techniques have been used for the extraction and detection of pesticides in strawberries, from classic to advanced analysis methodologies. In this chapter, the studies published by the scientific community performed from 2000 to the present, concerning the extraction and analysis of pesticide residues in strawberries, were discussed. The most broadly used detection technique for the analyse of pesticides in strawberries is mass spectrometry combined with gas and/or liquid chromatography. In general, multi-residue methods with selective sample treatment methodologies have been developed for this purpose. Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe (QuEChERS), liquid-liquid, solid-liquid, and solid-phase extraction and microextractions are the selected sample preparation techniques. The analytical parameters of the methodology and the findings on pesticide residues are described. The presented chapter shows the importance of these data in terms of food safety on the situation regarding pesticide residue in strawberries and human health regarding the risk of the ingestion of pesticides contaminated strawberries.