Pesticide Residue in Iranian Fruits and Vegetables: A Systematic Review

Fatemeh Toorang; Bahareh  Sasanfar; Hamed Pouraram; Soheyl Eskandari

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v9i1.14847

Fatemeh Toorang Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Bahareh Sasanfar Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I.R. Iran
Hamed Pouraram Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Soheyl Eskandari Food and Drug Laboratory Research Center, Food and Drug Administration, Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v9i1.14847

Keywords: Pesticide; Fruit; Vegetable; Systematic review; Iran

Abstract

Background: There is a growing concern about the health-threatening effects of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables worldwide. This study systematically reviewed the published data on pesticide residues in Iranian fruits and vegetables to clarify the gap in this issue. Method: The authors systematically searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, SID, and Iran Medex to find published studies on pesticide residues in Iranian foods without time and language restrictions. The title and abstract of all articles were evaluated after removing duplicate articles (2289 articles) by two independent reviewers. Finally, 25 articles were found that reported pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. There was a great variation in measurement methods and pesticides reported across studies, which precluded meta-analysis. Therefore, a summary of the included studies was only reported. Results: Twenty-four studies reporting pesticide residues in Iranian fruits and vegetables were included. The percentage of Iranian fruits and vegetables contaminated with pesticides exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL) was less than 10% in most studies. Contaminated samples were collected mainly from cultivated areas such as fields, orchards, or greenhouses. Conclusion: Pesticide residues in food have not been systematically reported in Iran. It was found that only limited articles were published by academic societies on this issue. Considering the current scenario, there is an urgent need to facilitate reliable and continuous measurements of toxic residues in Iranian food.