Dimethoate, diazinon, parathion methyl, pirimiphos methyl, malathion, fenthion, chlorpyriphos, methidathion and azinphos methyl were determined in 71 olive oil samples produced in Chile from different varieties of olives (arbequina, frantoio, picual, lechino and blend) at three different harvest periods (2007, 2008 and 2009). The target pesticides were determined using a validated analytical method based on microwave-assisted liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction with subsequent GC-FPD detection and GC-MS/MS for confirmation purposes. In 79% of the samples, five of the nine pesticides tested were detected with a frequency of one pesticide per sample. The highest detection rates were observed for the residues of chlorpyriphos and diazinon. The average concentration of chlorpyriphos, diazinon, azinphos methyl and methidathion were 0.084, 0.057, 0.024 and 0.010 µg g(-1), respectively. Higher contents of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) were found in regions where intensive agriculture is practiced. However, the levels of OPPs were reassuringly low and indicate that olive oil produced and exported from Chile does not currently represent any risk for consumers.
Keywords: gas chromatography; microwave-assisted extraction; monitoring; olive oil; organophosphorus pesticides.