title: Three-year study of fenthion and dimethoate pesticides in olive oil from organic and conventional cultivation.
abstract: Residues of fenthion and dimethoate pesticides were determined in organic and conventional olive oils by liquid-liquid and solid-phase extractions with subsequent gas chromatography and mass spectrometric analysis. The olive oil samples were collected from Crete during 1997-99. The average concentrations of fenthion in conventional olive oils were 0.1222, 0.145 and 0.1702 mg x kg(-1), and for dimethoate were 0.0226, 0.0264 and 0.0271 mg x kg(-1) for 1997, 1998 and 1999, respectively. The average concentrations of fenthion in organic olive oils were 0.0215, 0.0099 and 0.0035 mg x kg(-1) for 1997, 1998 and 1999, while for dimethoate they were 0.0098, 0.0038 and 0.0010 mg x kg(-1), respectively. All the olive oils contained residue levels lower than the maximum residue levels according to the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius. The organic olive oil contained significantly lower concentrations of the two pesticides. The levels of fenthion and dimethoate in organic olive oils exhibited a decreasing trend following the implementation of the new cultivation method. We propose procedures that should be established in the organic cultivation in order to maximize its effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Voutes GR-71409, Iraklion, Crete, Greece. aris@med.uoc.gr
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tsatsakis
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Tsakiris
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Tzatzarakis
authors.forename: Z B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Agourakis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tutudaki
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Alegakis
mesh_terms: D004117:Dimethoate / Q000032:analysis; D005284:Fenthion / Q000032:analysis; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis*; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D010938:Plant Oils; D005284:Fenthion; D004117:Dimethoate