Simultaneous multi-determination of pesticide residues in pistachio from Iran’s market: A probabilistic health risk assessment study

Abstract To protect consumers, food safety programs for pesticide residues are routinely carried out globally. This research aims to measure 25 types of pesticide residues in Iranian pistachio based on a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method combined with an Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The obtained detection limits and average recoveries were 3 μg L−1 and 80–110 % for all analytes, respectively. Analysis of pistachio samples indicated some target pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid, with values of 0.95 ± 0.01, 0.55 ± 0.02, and 0.51 ± 0.02 mg kg−1, respectively. The acetamiprid (53 %), fenitrothion (39 %), imidacloprid (34 %), and thiacloprid (25 %) were the frequently detected pesticides in pistachio samples. The mean residual concentration of chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, and imidacloprid exceeded the E.U. maximum residue limit (MRL). According to the non-carcinogenic health risk assessment, HQ and THQ values were lower than one. Therefore, it was concluded that pistachio consumption did not constitute a remarkable health risk to consumers. However, due to the relatively high values assigned for chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, and imidacloprid in pistachio samples, a regular and effective monitoring program is recommended to control pesticide utilization.