from Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Pesticides can help increase the quality of
the apples we see in stores and even
though it is standard for the food industry
to wash apples before sending to market,
some of the protective residue may
remain. A report in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests
an easy and effective way to wash
pesticide residue from apples.
Researchers washed apples with three
different liquids. The one that was most
effective was a one percent baking soda
solution in water. After about fifteen
minutes, that solution removed ninety-six
percent of one type of pesticide and eighty
percent of another. Washing with plain
tap water or a bleach solution—the
industry standard—were reported to be far
less effective.