PESTICIDES RESIDUES IN IRANIAN FOODS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background and Aim: Increase in world population along with agricultural development made pesticide usage inevitable. However, these compounds are considered as chemical pollutants threating all living creatures including human being. Unfortunately, the residues of various pesticides have been distinguished to be higher than Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in foods worldwide. There is not a comprehensive data on the pesticides residues in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted to systematically review the pesticides residues in Iranian food products. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, google scholar and SID databases were systematically searched. Initially, 2489 articles had been found. Study selection, data abstraction and quality assessment were done by two independent reviewers.Results: Of the 25 included articles, 14 reported pesticides residues in fruits and vegetables, 5 in fishes and 6 in other foods. More than 100 kinds of pesticides were distinguished. Appling expired pesticide which are sold in unauthorized stores is a threat to Iranian food safety. Studies which reported pesticide residue more than MRL mostly collected samples from farms. Residues levels were substantially lower in supermarkets and food hub centers. Fortunately the pesticide level of Wheat flour and rice which are staple foods of Iranian society, are lower than MRL. Washing, peeling, cooking and freezing will result in lower pesticide level in foods. Conclusion: Totally, it should be mentioned that, there were not enough data to make a statement on pesticides residues condition in Iran. There is an urgent need to identify it as a first step for making effective efforts to control the pesticide side effects in Iran.

کلیدواژه ها:

pesticides residue ، Iranian Food