More than 80,000 potential pesticide residue cases were tested via rapid screening with mass spectrometry over the past three years, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Agency said, adding that its annual screening capacity would be boosted to 50,000 cases this year.
Combined with fast pesticide extraction and mass spectrometry, the rapid screening technique uses computer-based algorithms to compare the mass spectrums of sample extracts with those of more than 200 established common pesticides, agency Deputy Secretary-General Chen Chi-jung (陳啟榮) said.
The technique can yield test results in 20 minutes, allowing sample submitters to get the report within a day, while traditional testing methods require five to seven days to produce results, he said, adding that rapid screening has reached up to 99 percent of the accuracy of traditional methods.
Photo: Tsai Cheng-min, Taipei Times
The agency aims to increase its annual screening capacity to 50,000 cases this year, after it passed its 40,000-case goal last year with the screening of 40,470 cases, Chen said.
Data from the agency showed that a total of 81,490 cases were tested via the technique from 2023 to last year, with 7,062 found to contain pesticide residue that required the postponement of the harvesting of crops.
Chen said 22 pretreatment stations have been set up at agricultural collection points near production areas to help collect samples from agricultural workers and transfer the samples to local screening centers, mobile screening vehicles, or the ministry’s Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute.
These pretreatment stations not only make it convenient for agricultural workers to use the screening service, but also facilitate the screening process by conducting pretreatments, including homogenization, shaking and extraction, he said.
While local screening centers and the institute would handle most cases, the five mobile screening vehicles would travel to remote areas to provide assistance, Chen said, adding that there would be 11 local centers providing the service this year.
Rapid screening test results can inform agricultural workers about the pesticide residue amounts before produce enters the market, the ministry said.
Submitters whose samples are found to have pesticide residues would be required to delay the harvest and undergo screening again, it said.
They would not be penalized for crops with excessive pesticide residues, but cannot release their produce to market until it passes the test, the ministry said.
For those required to postpone harvests, personnel from local agricultural research and extension stations, and plant doctors would be sent to assist agricultural workers in improving pesticide use and pest control strategies, it said.
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