How Scientists Hunt for Pesticides in Your Drinks

Scientists have a new tool to find tiny amounts of pesticides in drinks like juice and wine. They used a special machine that can break down chemicals in three different ways. This helps them spot even the smallest traces of pesticides.

Key Features of the New Tool

• Versatile Detection Methods:
• Can handle 168 types of pesticides using one method.

• Can handle 158 types of pesticides using another method.

• Comprehensive Testing:
• Tested on juice and wine.
• Found about 30 types of pesticides, including:
• Insect killers
• Plant protectors

• Fungus fighters

• Enhanced Sensitivity:
• Can detect pesticides in amounts as tiny as a picogram per milliliter.
• Equivalent to finding a single grain of sand in a swimming pool.

Limitations and Considerations

• Potential for Errors:
• Might miss some pesticides or give wrong results.
• Scientists need to double-check findings.

Conclusion

This new method is a big step forward in ensuring the safety of our drinks by detecting harmful chemicals. However, it is not perfect, so scientists need to keep improving it.