The Quality and Safety of Imported Food: The Danger of Pesticides

The analysis of pesticide residue in imported food by thin layer chromatography is reported in this work. The pesticide residue was found in 34 samples of 11 kinds fresh harvested vegetables during fall of 2011.


Introduction
ne of primary concerns of national security is the quality of food products.Especially in Mongolia, over 70% of imported food products supplying to whole country are transported through the border at Zamiin-Uud (from a report of food products which were transported through the Zamiin-Uud border: Specialized Inspection Station during [2008][2009].
Due to the current economic crisis and lack of goods produced in Mongolia, the Mongolian Government has collected taxes from both individuals and merchant groups participating in international trade for completing state budget.However, the quality and safety of imported products is left outside the control.
Generally, most of the Mongolia people do not have the ability to examine safe and unsafe food products.Only the apparent quantity and price of goods are taken into consideration.Moreover, the inspection control of the Mongolian Border Control has weakened over the past 20 years.To  ( 31147.8 t ) Chemical substances -9.5% ( 3842222.01 t) Processed food products -0.5 % (4949.5 t) Beauty products and household goods -0.08 % ( 760.5 t) Medicine and medical equipment of all imported products.
Figure1.The percentage of imported goods and products during first half of 2011.
-9% Plant products -1% Raw products of animal -5% Processed food products -4% Chemical products -1% Household goods -3 % Medicine or medical supplies -67% Construction materials -12% or 118722.01ton of total imported goods is food products and 48.3% or 57452.7 ton of those were transported by trucks.
Food products which were tested in Zamiin-Uud Border Specialized Inspection Station Laboratory are: -70.6% Plants, for example: potatoes, vegetables, fruits and berries -29.4% Processed food products, for example: canned food, jam and noodles etc Also 34.3% or 19659.3ton of all food products were transported by trucks.And were tested in Zamiin -Uud Border Specialized Inspection Laboratory.-The percentage of food imported by trucks-66% -The percentage of food products tested-34% out of total 66% The laboratories of the Zamiin-Uud Border Specialized Inspection Station tested the chloroorganic and phosphorous pesticide residue of potatoes, vegetables, fruits and berries by using the MNS4933:99 and MNS4932:99 standard method, thin layer chromatography.The percentage of food imported by trucks and their testing

Experimental
Researching methodology is based on the following procedures:

Materials:
Prepare 500 g of smashed vegetables or fruits for each set of testing 1.Put 20 g smashed vegetables or fruits into 250 ml dividing funnel.2. Add 30 ml hexane and shake carefully for 15 minutes.3. Add 10 ml sulphuric acid and shake for 1 min.4. Rinse stratum with hexane must be 2-3 times by 20 ml distilled water.The organic stratum is allowed to go through the evaporated. 5. Dry residues are dissolved in the 0.2 ml diethyl ether.

Chloroorganic pesticide preparation:
1. Prepare chloroorganic pesticide solution from agricultural sample by organic solvent extraction 2. Put the sample in the silica gel shallow stratum and burn under ultraviolet ray lamp (254nm) 3. Investigate the components of sample by comparing with standard solution using thin layer chromatography I. Preparing standard solution of chloroorganic pesticide by put 10 ml chlororganic pesticide into the glass tube and fill with hexane till the line.

II. Indicator solution preparation
Combine 10 ml nitric silver with 5 ml distilled water in the glass tube.Then add 7 ml of ammonia concentration and fill acetone till the line.

Thin layer chromatography:
1. Prepared sample is dropped slowly with micro syringe on the dot no more 0.5 cm diameter in a distance 1.5 cm from the below edge of a shadow stratum chromatograph plate.2. Two pesticide standard model solutions are dropped on the both side of experimental sample.N-hexane is put into the camera by running solution, but 6:1 hexane and acetone mixture (if pesticide R f is less than 0.3) before 30 min of chromatograph procedure.In the chromatograph camera, plate is located in the condition.When solubility is raised 10 cm up, plate is taken out of the camera and dried.Finally, the plate is sprayed with silver nitrate solution and burned under a ultra-violet ray's lamp (254nm) with a distance 20m for 10-15 min.In this way, black and grey spot of chloroorganic pesticide is appeared on the plate.Size of chloroorganic pesticide which is contained in the sample was counted by following equation; where X is size of pesticide in a simple A is amount of standard solution And P is size of sample

Results and Discussion
From the tested food products which were tested in the Zamiin-Uud Border Specialized Inspection Station laboratory, -70.6 % was plant yield food, for example; potatoes, vegetables, fruit and berries -29.4 % was processed food products 34.3 % of all food products were transported by trucks and were tested in Zamiin-Uud Border Specialized Inspection laboratory.The percentage of food delivered by trucks and its inspection is shown in Figure 1.
1.The percentage of food imported by truck 66 % 2. The percentage of food products tested 34 % Just 34 % of all truck transported food imported through Zamiin -Uud was tested in the Border laboratory which consequently gives the following questions: -Is portion of the 66% of the food products passed through Zamiin-Uud Customs Station without inspection meet healthy food requirements?-Can we certain that products transferred through Inland [deep] Customs Central Station?
-In Mongolia there are 5 international and 8 bi-national border customs stations of those Border stations, 7 are permanent while the others are open seasonally.How many of these customs stations have the equipment and resources necessary to properly test imported food products?The laboratories of the Zamiin Uud Border Specialized Inspection Station tested the chloro-organic and phosphorous pesticide residue in potatoes, vegetables, fruit and berries by using the MNS4833: 99, and MNS4832: 99 standard methods which are thin layer chromatography method.
During first 9 months of 2011, 427 samples from 24 kinds of food products were tested at the Zamiin-Uud Border Laboratory.However, they did not meet the standard requirements.Only 9% of the total imports were tested and none of them met and health requirements.
Pesticide residue was found in fresh harvested vegetables during fall of 2011.There were 24 samples from 11 kinds of vegetables with pesticide.7.9% of all these 34 samples of vegetables, fruits and berries didn't meet health and safety standards.Moreover, they are 7.9% of all food samples didn't meet requirements and 3.1% of all tested vegetables, fruits and berries samples by using thin layer chromatography method in Zamiin-Uud Border Laboratory during first 9 months of 2011.90% of all imported vegetables and fruit were imported by private merchants using the trucks.The quality and safety of the products was never mentioned in their contracts.Special permission for importing food products should be granted to professional experts and companies.
Although the government has improved the infrastructures and staff capacity of Border Specialized Inspection Stations and their laboratories, foreign trade documents should be reviewed again, according to these results.We should stop promoting the idea that imported foreign food is best.These goods can cause illnesses and other health issues due to their genetically altered nature.
Finally, the biggest danger is the careless of proper inspection procedures.Other nations could use altered foods cause damage to Mongolia's national health and security.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. The percentage of food delivered by trucks and its inspection:

Table 1 .
Types and quantity of plant products with