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Environ Monit Assess (2011) 176:365371 DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1589-y
Survey on the pesticide residues in tea in south India
Subbiah Seenivasan
NarayananNair Muraleedharan
Received: 18 September 2009 / Accepted: 15 June 2010 / Published online: 20 July 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Abstract Tea is considered as a health beverage due its antioxidant properties and resultant beneficial effects on human health. Such a beverage should be free from toxic elements such as pesticide residues and heavy metals. A large scale survey of teas produced in the tea factories of south India had been carried out for a period of three years from 2006 to 2008 and 912 tea samples were analysed for the residues of certain pesticides such as dicofol, ethion, quinalphos, hexaconazole, fenpropathrin, fenvalerate and propargite which are used for pest and disease control in tea in this part of the country. The analytical data proved that only less than 0.5 percentage of tea samples had residues of these pesticides. However, residues of pesticides were below their maximum limits in tea, stipulated by the
S. Seenivasan N. Muraleedharan (B)
UPASI Tea Research Foundation,Tea Research Institute, Nirar Dam BPO, Valparai 642 127, Indiae-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Present Address:S. SeenivasanM/s. Microchem-Silliker India Pvt. Limited, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400 701, India
European Union, Codex Alimentarius Commission of FAO/WHO and Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of Govt. of India.
Keywords Tea Pesticide residue Survey
Maximum residue limit
Introduction
In south India, tea plants are grown in an area of about 100,000 ha, and the annual production is between 190 and 200 million kilograms. Nearly 50% of the production is exported to different countries, including those in the European Union. Tea plants are attacked by several pests and diseases which are responsible for 710% loss in crop. The tea fields are also invaded by several species of weeds, which compete with tea plants for moisture and nutrients. Hence, to augment the productivity of tea and to protect the plants from pests and diseases, it is necessary to adopt plant protection measures using synthetic chemicals. The plant protection chemicals applied in the tea fields find their way into the tea shoots and ultimately into the processed black tea.
The tea industry in general uses pesticides which are cleared by the European...