Analysis of Pesticide Residue Levels in Market-Available Tomato Samples in Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Introduction: Tomatoes are one of India's most important protective food crops. The plants typically grow 1-3 meters in height. The major Tomatoes-producing states are Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Tomato is one of the vegetables used regularly in Indian culinary and India is one of the major countries which produce Tomatoes. In Karnataka, the major districts which grow tomatoes are Kolar, Mandya, Belagavi, Haveri, Davanagere, Chikkaballapur, and Bengaluru Rural. Long-term, low-dose exposure to pesticides has been found to be progressively associated with adverse health consequences in humans, including cancer, immunosuppression, hormone disruption, lowered IQ, and aberrant reproductive health. Hence, the study was conducted to evaluate pesticide residue in market samples of Tomatoes. Methodology: Tomatoes samples from 3 different major markets in Bangalore, namely the K.R market (KRM), Yeshwanthpur market (YM) and Madiwala market (MM), were collected and subjected to pesticide residue analysis at a food testing laboratory. Results: The study's results revealed that the presence of pesticide residue did not exceed maximum residue levels in all Tomatoes samples. Conclusion: Based on the study's findings, Tomatoes samples from all three market samples have pesticide residue below the quantification limit, or LOQ < 0.1 mg/kg. The superiority of the Ayurvedic treatment plan lies in its ability to heal cumulative damage through internal therapy and detoxification.