While it's possible to remove pesticides from raw foods to some extent, no cleaning method is 100% effective, and cooking doesn't always eliminate pesticides. However, proper washing and cooking will reduce the residue of most types of pesticides.
How to Reduce Pesticide Residues in Raw Foods?
WASHING WITH BAKING SODA (SODIUM BICARBONATE)
Baking soda can help break down and effectively dissolve and wash away some pesticide residues, particularly organophosphates and pyrethrins, from fruit and vegetable peels. When washing raw vegetables, place them in a bowl with water and water. Add 2 heaping teaspoons of baking soda to 1 liter of water. Soak the fruits and vegetables for 15-20 minutes. Then, rinse thoroughly with clean water.
VINEGAR
It can help neutralize pesticide residue to some extent, but is preferred for its more bactericidal properties. Add about 300ml of vinegar per liter of wash water; white vinegar is preferable for cost reasons. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
RINSE WITH PLAIN WATER
Running tap water can remove 10-80% of surface pesticides, depending on the chemical and product type. Most commonly used modern pesticides are water-soluble. Repeated soaking and thorough rinsing with running water will help reduce surface pesticides.
PEELING AND SCRUBBING
You can reduce pesticide residue on vegetable/fruit peels by peeling or scrubbing, washing, and wiping. However, the downside of peeling is that the food's high nutritional and fiber content is concentrated in the peel and just beneath it.
Does Cooking Neutralize Pesticides?
Cooking can partially break down some pesticides, but not all types. Heat-sensitive pesticides, such as those based on organic phosphates, can be degraded during cooking (boiling, steaming, frying).
Heat-labile pesticides, especially systemic ones (those absorbed by plants), remain active even after cooking. Cooking methods that reduce water content in food, such as grilling and frying, will create even higher concentrations if the pesticide used is heat-labile, making it even more harmful.
CONCLUSION
These recipes can neutralize or mask the test reaction and cause false-negative results in rapid test kits. However, this does not guarantee that food is safe. The real solution to food safety is to identify and consume non-toxic agricultural products.
The degradation of a chemical does not always mean that the resulting new chemical structure is harmless. Some pesticides degrade into toxic byproducts (for example, chlorpyrifos → TCP, which is also toxic). In short, while pesticide testing may show clean results with baking soda washing or cooking, it is not certain that the residues are completely harmless. Therefore, avoid relying solely on "neutralizer recipes." Whenever possible, buy organic or local agricultural products and analyze them in their original form with PESTEST.
