Diphenylamine residues in apples caused by contamination in fruit storage facilities.
The potential of fruit storage facilities that are contaminated with the widely used chemical antioxidant diphenylamine to cross-contaminate untreated apples (Malus × domestica Borkh.) was studied. A new sample preparation method identified the storage room paint, contaminated from past treatments, as the major source of cross-contamination in the analyzed facilities. Diphenylamine amounts of up to 917 g were found in a single storage room and were shown to correlate with the extent of cross-contamination on stored apples. Our data support a diffusion-based mechanism where the wall paint releases the antioxidant to the storage room atmosphere even years after the last treatment. Given the extent of cross-contamination found in our model experiments and under commercial storage conditions, we deduce a significant risk of exceeding the potentially upcoming maximum residue level of 0.01 mg kg(-1) on stored fruit in contaminated rooms even years after the last diphenylamine treatment.
Laimburg Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, 39040 Auer Ora, Italy.
Peter
P
Robatscher
Daniela
D
Eisenstecken
Fabiola
F
Sacco
Hannes
H
Pöhl
Jennifer
J
Berger
Angelo
A
Zanella
Michael
M
Oberhuber
D004159:Diphenylamine / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D027845:Malus; D010150:Paint / Q000032:analysis
D004159:Diphenylamine