ELISA, a feasible technique to monitor organophosphate, carbamate, and pyrethroid residues in local vegetables. Cuban case study

Organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids are among the most commonly used pesticides worldwide. However, these pesticides are toxic not only to insects but also to other non-targets such as animals, including humans. The increasing public concern in recent years about possible health risks due to pesticide residues in the diet has influenced the strategies for crop protection. Over the years, researchers have relied on several analytical methods. The importance of enzyme-linked immune sorbent assays (ELISA) for pesticide analysis has increased over the past decades. This study was conducted to assess ELISA as a rapid, economical, and safe analytical procedure as an alternative prior to chromatographic techniques for monitoring the residues of these target pesticides in local Cuban vegetables. A colorimetric ELISA test kit was used to detect organophosphates and carbamates directly, while the analysis of pyrethroid was performed using paramagnetic particles attached to antibodies specifically to detect pyrethroids. To confirm the positive results, the samples were also analyzed by chromatography. With the use of the ELISA kits, it was possible to determine the presence of organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroid residues in the collected samples. The ELISA kits tested showed quantification capacity at values below the detection limit of the chromatographic techniques used. Linear relationships between the quantified values obtained by the chromatographic technique and results obtained through the pyrethroid ELISA test kits were observed. The developed ELISA exhibited high accuracy and is ideally suited as a fast, high-throughput, and low-cost screening test for organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroid residues to monitor and control these residue levels in the Cuban agriculture context.