160 Pesticide detection in food

Learning Outcome

Students will be able to learn about

1. Different types of pesticides that are used.

2. Demerits of using chemical pesticides in crops.
3. The effects of Organophosphates on human.
4. Different soil microbes that can biodegrade pesticide.
5. Chemistry of Paranitrophenol.
6. Types of Biosensors are fabricated to detect Organophosphates in food.

Introduction

In agriculture high pesticide use can lead to environmental pollution. Pesticide residues end up in
different media, including water and food products, which may serve as direct routes for human
exposure

1. Neurotoxicity
2. Genotoxicity
3. Mutagenicity
4. Carcinogenicity

These compounds mimic the hormones and cause death in severe cases. Classification of Pesticides

Pesticides can be classified according to the types of pests which they kill:

Insecticides kills insects.

 Herbicides kills plants.

 Rodenticides kills rodents (rats and mice)
 Bactericides kills bacteria.
 Fungicides kills fungi.
 Larvicides kills larvae

Classification of Pesticides
Three of the main classes of pesticides that pose a serious problem are
1. Organophosphates (OPs)
2. Organochlorines
3. Carbamates.
OPs are usually
Esters,
Amides or
Thiol
 Are derivatives of phosphoric, phosphonic or phosphinic acids.

Organophosphates

Organophosphates (OP) are chemical substances that are produced by the process of
esterification between phosphoric acid and alcohol.
These chemicals are the main components of herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides.
OPs are also the main components of nerve gas.
Acute or chronic exposure to OPs can produce varying levels of toxicity in humans, animals,
plants, and insects.

CNS Enzymes inhibition by Organophosphates

Organophosphorus pesticides such as methyl parathion are widely used in the field of agriculture for
insect pest control. Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) irreversibly inhibit the activity of
acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in human body and animals.It leads to interference with the action of vital
organs and in severe cases respiratory paralysis and death.

Acetylcholine Estrase

Acetylcholine estrase is a serine hydrolyzing enzyme .

The basic structure of the AChE molecule is ellipsoidal

It possesses three binding sites, i.e.,

1. Active site
2. Aromatic gorge,
3. Peripheral anionic site, where the inhibiting compounds interact.

CNS Enzymes inhibition by Organophosphates

Organophosphate molecule bind at the active site of the enzyme molecule .
The binding of a phosphate group to the serine amino acid at the active site of acetyl
cholinesterase. It changes the configuration of the enzyme molecule,
stabilizing , preventing it from functioning, inactivating permanently.

Fig shows acetylcholine esterase emzymes structure.

 Biosensing approach for pesticide detection in Food
There are two approaches that are widely used for the fabrication of biosensor to detect
pesticides, based on organophosphaates.
1. Enzyme based biosensor using acetylcholine estrase as bioreceptor element, The inhibition of
enzyme is consider a signal for the presence of pesticide.
2. Microbial cell biosensor. Microbes capable of hydrolyzing OPH are used as Bioreceptor
element.

Schematic representation of colorimetric assay for organophosphate pesticide detection based on

catalytic reaction of acetylcholine esterase and the aggregation of modified gold nanoparticles.

Biodegradation of pesticide by by Bacteria

Organo Phosphorus Hydrolyse enzymes

(OPH) (E.C.3.1.8.1) are expressed in soil optical methods

 Sphingomonas sp.
 Flavobacterium sp.
 Moraxella sp.
 Pseudomonas putida

They can hydrolyzes methyl parathion into p-nitro phenol (PNP).

Para nitrophenol and detection

 4-Nitrophenol It has a nitro group at the opposite position of the hydroxyl group on the
benzene ring.
 PNP can be detected by electrochemical and colorimetric methods.
 PNP is colorless below pH 5.4 and yellow at above pH 7.5.
 The color changing property of PNP is very useful in the detection of the target molecule
Parathion.
Fig illustrates a pesticide degrading biosensor.