Washing spinach with different solutions to remove pesticide residues
What it found
Soaking spinach in 10% acetic acid removed the most pesticide residue, cutting imidacloprid by 83% and acetamaprid by 87%.
Plain tap water removed much less.
What they found
Best washing solution
A 10% acetic acid soak removed the most pesticide. It cut imidacloprid by 83% and acetamaprid by 87%.
Citric acid results
A 10% citric acid soak was the next best option. It removed 69% of imidacloprid and 71% of acetamaprid.
Tap water results
Plain tap water removed far less pesticide than the acid soaks. It cut imidacloprid by 23% and acetamaprid by 27%.
Weakest chemical wash
A 4% sodium carbonate soak performed poorly. It removed only 27% of imidacloprid and 29% of acetamaprid.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that washing vegetables with acetic acid or citric acid helps reduce pesticide residues more than using tap water alone.
- They suggest these acid washes can be used alongside regular tap water rinsing.
How it was done
Crops treated with pesticides can keep chemical residues that may cause health problems when eaten. The researchers wanted to find out which washing methods best remove two specific pesticides from spinach.
They dipped pesticide-treated spinach in various solutions, including tap water and five chemicals at different strengths. They tested 23 soaking treatments in total. After dipping, they measured how much of each pesticide was left.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work measured pesticide levels on spinach, not what happens inside a person who eats it.
- It does not show whether the remaining pesticide amounts after washing affect 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 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error