Washing spinach to remove imidacloprid and acetamaprid residues
What it found
Washing spinach in acetic acid or citric acid removed more imidacloprid and acetamaprid residues than tap water alone.
The tests were done on spinach, not in people.
What they found
Acetic acid best
A 10% acetic acid wash removed the most residue: 83% of imidacloprid and 87% of acetamaprid. This was treatment T6.
Citric acid next
A 10% citric acid wash removed 69% of imidacloprid and 71% of acetamaprid. This was treatment T11.
Sodium carbonate weakest
A 4% sodium carbonate wash removed the least: 27% of imidacloprid and 29% of acetamaprid. This was treatment T20.
Tap water alone
Plain tap water removed 23% of imidacloprid and 27% of acetamaprid. This was treatment T1.
What the authors conclude
“From these findings it is inferred that acetic acid and citric acid washing treatments can be used along with tap water to minimize pesticide residues in treated vegetables.”
Also in their conclusions
- They infer that acetic acid and citric acid washing treatments can be used along with tap water to minimize pesticide residues in treated vegetables.
How it was done
Crops treated with pesticides keep toxic residues that can cause health problems when eaten. The authors wanted to see which washing solutions best remove two pesticide residues from spinach.
They dipped contaminated spinach in chemical solutions of different strengths, including acetic acid, citric acid, hydrogen peroxide, sodium chloride and sodium carbonate, plus tap water. After 23 dipping treatments, they measured imidacloprid and acetamaprid residues using high-performance liquid chromatography.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study only measured pesticide residues on spinach after washing. It did not test whether eating the spinach affects human health.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan; Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan; A'Sharqiyah University, Oman
The paper
- Title
- Assessment of different washing treatments to mitigate imidacloprid and acetamaprid residues in spinach
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Abdullah, Randhawa MA, Akhtar S, et al (2016). Assessment of different washing treatments to mitigate imidacloprid and acetamaprid residues in spinach. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.7563PubMed 26678536DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error