Abstract:

In this study, imidacloprid residues on apples were cleaned with different techniques following the vegetable
cleaning habits of Chinese households, including rinsing with running water, and cleaning after soaking in water, edible
vinegar, edible salt, sodium bicarbonate solution or fruit and vegetable cleaning solution. The results indicated that soaking
the apple fruits in water followed by rinsing with running tap water could effectively remove the imidacloprid residues
and removal rates were in the range of 53.46%–84.23% with processing factors of 0.157 7–0.465 4. Removal rates were
91.20%–97.64% and processing factors were 0.023 6–0.088 0 when the apple fruits were soaked in water for different times and
then peeled. R emoval rates were 93.26%–97.85% and processing factors were 0.021 5–0.067 4 when the apple fruits were soaked
in water for different times before being peeled and juiced. Our research revealed the relationship between pesticide residues and
cleaning approaches, which can provide the important theoretical basis for risk assessments of pesticide residues in foods.

Key words: apples, imidacloprid, cleaning methods, removal efficiency, processing factor