Assessment of systemic insecticide residues in cocoa beans from some farms in the Western North region, Ghana

Residue concentrations of systemic insecticides were analysed in cocoa beans sampled from the Western North Region. The objectives of the study were to assess the residue concentrations of 11 systemic insecticides in the sampled cocoa beans and compare the residue concentrations detected with the European Union’s Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of cocoa beans to ascertain whether or not it is safe to consume cocoa beans’ products from the Western North region. Purposive sampling and simple random sampling were used to choose 10 cocoa farms and 10 communities respectively across five Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Western North Region. The sampled cocoa beans were analysed by a partially modified QuEChERS Method MRM by LC-MS/MS. A total of 11 active ingredients were analysed, and out of these only one was found in the cocoa beans sampled from WF2. This was pirimiphos-methyl with a residue concentration of 0.01 mg/kg, which falls within the EUs MRL set for cocoa beans. The other 10 systemic insecticide residues were not detected in all the samples analysed. This implies that it is either the insecticide residues have diminished from the cocoa beans, or the farmers have been following the prescribed insecticide application procedures, hence their non detection in cocoa beans sampled. Therefore, in terms of food safety as it relates to insecticide residue concentrations, cocoa beans from the Western North Region can be considered to be of good quality, and safe to consume as it poses no health risk to its consumers.

Keywords: systemic, insecticide, residue concentration, cocoa beans