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Organophosphorus pesticides residues in Italian raw milk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

Giampiero Pagliuca
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra, 50 I 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
Andrea Serraino
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra, 50 I 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
Teresa Gazzotti
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra, 50 I 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
Elisa Zironi
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra, 50 I 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
Andrea Borsari
Affiliation:
Granarolo S.p.A. via Cadriano 27/2 Bologna, Italy
Roberto Rosmini
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology – Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di sopra, 50 I 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy

Abstract

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), widely used in agriculture, can cause toxic effects to humans and animals. The main purpose of the present work was to determine the contamination in raw milk by the main organophosphorus pesticides used in Italy and to evaluate the opportunity to start specific procedures of risk management along the milk production chain. The samples, collected in 4 Italian dairy plants directly from the tank trucks during the delivering, were representative of 920 tonnes of raw milk. The isolation of the OPPs (acephate, chlorpyriphos, chlorpyriphos-methyl, diazinon, methamidophos, methidathion, phorate, pirimiphos-methyl) was performed by liquid partition followed by clean-up with solid phase extraction. The analyses were carried out by dual column gas chromatography using two nitrogen-phosphorus detectors. Among the 135 samples analysed, 37 were positive in traces and 10 showed an OPP contamination ranging from 5 to 18 μg/kg. The higher results were recorded in the samples collected during the autumn-winter period. The main pollutants detected were acephate and chlorpyriphos. In every positive sample found, the OPP contamination was lower than the maximum residue level (MRL) fixed by the European Commission.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2006

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