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Chemical profile of pesticide in select herbs and spices commercially available in an urban location using gas chromatography mass spectrometry Yanique Black * , Dr. Raymond Reid, Dr. Andrea Barnaby Department of Chemistry, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica * E-mail: yaniqueblack@hotmail.com Pesticides are important in agriculture to kill or limit pests that poses a threat to plants including food crops. The risk posed to the population by consuming herbs and spices with banned or unsafe levels of pesticide residue can be significantly minimized by regular chemical analysis. A total of 12 samples of herbs and spices (namely, basil garlic tomato, sage, pimento, ground black pepper, curry, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, jerk seasoning, nutmeg, parsley, turmeric) were chemically profiled for the presence of pesticides by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy. Of the 12 samples, the pesticides malathion and diazinon were detected in an imported sage sample at concentrations of 0.00022mg/ kg and 0.00074 mg/kg respectively. Diazinon and malathion being organophosphate pesticides are typically detected by means of chromatographic techniques and gas chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry. The concentrations detected were below the reference dose for both malathion and diazinon (0.03 mg/kg and 0.14 mg/kg respectively) 1-4 . Other compounds of note were also detected in the samples including several biopesticides i.e. chemicals originating from plant sources bearing pesticidal properties. These include Caryophyllene, Germacrene D, Anethole and Methyl Salicylate. These compounds have been found to possess insecticidal, antibacterial, antifungal and repellent properties. Key words: Pesticide; Pesticide Residue; Herbs; Spices; Gas Chromatography References 1. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Reasoned Opinion on the Modification of the Existing MRLs for Malathion in Various Crops [Online]. EFSA Journal . 2014 , 12(2), 3588. 2. Environmental Protection Agency. Diazinon Draft Human Health Risk Assessment for Registration Review, 2017.
3. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Pesticide Residues in Food – Malathion, 1997. 4. Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). ToxGuide for Diazinon, 2011.
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