Ethephon and fosetyl residues in fruits from São Francisco Valley, Brazil.

This survey describes the occurrence of Ethephon (ETH) and Fosetyl in fruits intended for export produced in the São Francisco Valley, Brazil. The determination of these compounds was carried out by the QuPPe-method (Quick Polar Pesticides Method), which was optimised and successfully validated according to the SANTE/11813/2017. From January 2016 to December 2018 a total of 1048 samples were analysed for ETH residues. In 547 (53%) of the samples, residues below the EU MRL of 1 mg kg−1 were present. In 17 samples (2%) ETH residues were above 1 mg kg−1. Overall, the mean ETH level decreased after 2016. Analyses of fosetyl showed that (18%) of 109 mango samples were positive for this compound. Phosphonic acid was found in concentrations ranging from 0.12 to 3.2 mg kg−1 and 5% of the measurements were above the EU MRL of 2 mg kg−1. The results emphasise the quality control of fruits produced in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]