Mitigation of pesticide residues in rice: influence of cooking methods on long-grain, brown, and Basmati varieties

The increasing use of pesticides in agriculture and household settings has raised concerns about their presence in the food chain. To address this, effective procedures for reducing pesticide residues are essential. The reduction of pesticide residues can be influenced by factors like grain adsorption, water solubility, and heat-induced breakdown. This study evaluated the effectiveness of various processing techniques-cooking and steam cooking, before and after washing-on reducing pesticide residues in rice (long-grain, brown, and basmati). Rice samples were intentionally contaminated with 121 pesticides at levels of 20 and 50 µg/kg, followed by different processing methods. The extraction of pesticides was carried out using the QuEChERS procedure, followed by their determination through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The highest reduction of pesticide residues was observed for long-grain rice, with up to 85% reduction under the combination of vinegar washing and conventional cooking, while other rice types showed reductions ranging between 50% and 70% depending on the processing method. Results showed that combined washing and processing is particularly effective for enhancing food safety.