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Insecticides have traditionally been used to prevent damage to crops by herbivorous insects. There is concern over the use of traditional chemical insecticides and this has led to the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes and a search for alternative methods of control and novel insecticidal molecules. Effective implementation of EPM requires compatibility between control methods, particularly with regard to beneficial species such as parasitoids. The impact of novel control methods and insecticidal compounds on beneficial insects therefore needs to be assessed to ensure that there are no detrimental effects on the biology and behaviour of these species. When larvae of the tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea, were fed on leaves from tomato plants expressing the snowdrop lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) at a level of approximately 2% of total soluble protein, significant increases in the mean larval weight, and in the amount of food consumed were found. This resulted in an overall reduction in the mean development time to the pupal stage of approximately 7 days. The percentage survival to the adult moth was significantly increased for larvae reared on the transgenic tomato leaves compared to larvae reared on leaves from control plants. These results are in contrast to similar studies with GNA-expressing potato plants.

MSc (Chemistry) / Department of Chemistry / In this work, modern pre-concentration techniques, namely dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (DLLME) and QuEChERS, were used to analyse pesticides and heavy metals in complex matrices. The work is divided into six papers. In Papers 1, the recent developments and applications of DLLME during analysis of pesticides in food matrices were reviewed. The DLLME technique has captured the interests of many researchers in recent years. The major advantage, among others, of DLLME is miniaturisation in which the acceptor-to-donor ratio is reduced tremendously leading to high enrichment compared to other sample preparation techniques. In the present work, the different complex matrices where the DLLME technique has been employed for the analysis of pesticides are reviewed as well as the challenges associated with this technique. Papers II reviewed the recent applications and developments of the QuEChERS technique during the analysis of pesticides in food matrices. QuEChERS is a versatile pre-concentration method whose application spans the whole breath of organic compounds. There are three common standard methods used during QuEChERS and these are the original QuEChERS, AOAC and the EN methods. In this paper, recent developments and applications of QuEChERS techniques in the analysis of pesticides in food samples were reviewed. In Paper III, green pre-concentration techniques employed during analysis of pesticides were reviewed. Recently, the parameter of “greenness” during sample pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using large amounts of harmful organic solvents during sample preparation. Developing new green pre-concentration techniques is one of the key subjects in green chemistry in order to minimize the release of large volume of toxic organic solvents into the environment. Thus, to reduce the impact on the environment during trace analysis of pesticides in food matrices, new developments in pesticide pre-concentration have gone in three separate directions (which are reviewed in this paper): one is the search for more environmentally friendly solvents, the second one is miniaturization and the third one is the development of solvent-free pre-concentration techniques. Eco-friendly solvents such as supercritical fluids, ionic liquids and natural deep eutectic solvents have been developed for use as extraction solvents during pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices. Also miniaturized pre-concentration techniques such as QuEChERS, dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction and hollow-fibre liquid phase micro-extraction have been used during trace analysis of pesticides in food samples as well as solvent-free techniques such as solid phase micro-extraction and stir bar sorptive extraction. All these developments are geared to ensure that pesticide pre-concentration in food matrices is green and were reviewed in this paper. The effect of vehicular emissions on the concentrations of selected heavy metals was investigated in Paper IV. The samples were pre-concentrated using DLLME prior to analysis with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Dithizone, chloroform and methanol were used as chelating agent, extraction solvent and dispersion solvent respectively during the DLLME technique. The pH of the sample was adjusted to around 8 using sulphuric acid or sodium hydroxide solution. The influential DLLME parameters, such as pH volume and type of extraction solvent, and voume of disperser solvent, were optimized prior to the application of the developed method to real samples (roadside dust, fruits and vegetables). In Paper V, chromium speciation in fruits and vegetables was studied. The chromium in fruit and vegetable sample juices was pre-concentrated using DLLME prior to analysis with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Diphenylcarbazide (DPC) was used as a chelating agent in this study, and salting out of the complex from the aqueous medium into the organic phase was effected using sodium acetate. Chloroform and methanol were used as extraction and dispersion solvents respectively in the DLLME method for the determination of chromium (VI). For total chromium, the trivalent chromium was oxidised using acidified KMnO4 to hexavalent chromium before performing the DLLME technique. The concentration of chromium (III) was determined by finding the difference between total chromium and concentration of chromium (VI). The important parameters that influence the efficiency of the DLLME technique were also optimized using the univariate approach. After optimization, the developed method was applied to real samples. In Paper VI, the concentration of malathion pesticide in fruits was determined using QuECHERS for pre-concentration and UV-Vis spectrophotometry for instrumental analysis. Acetonitrile was used as the extraction solvent and Z-sep+/PSA sorbent combination was used for sample clean-up. The acetonitrile extract from QuEChERS was then hydrolysed using KOH followed by reaction with acidified potassium bromate for colour development. The coloured product formed was then analysed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Among the fruits analysed, Oranges had no malathion residue in them. However, trace amounts of malathion, below WHO maximum allowable limits, were found in pears and apples. / NRF

Le chlordécone est un pesticide organochloré, qui a été utilisé dans les Antilles françaises pour lutter contre le charançon du bananier Cosmopolites sordidus. Ce pesticide a été interdit en 1993 en raison de sa toxicité et de sa persistance dans l'environnement. Cependant des études ont montré que la population antillaise continue d'être exposée (lait maternel et sang contaminés, transfert de chlordécone mère-jeune, retard du développement cognitif, risque de cancer de la prostate) en particulier via l'alimentation. Depuis 2008, la réglementation européenne n°396/2005 est appliquée sur le territoire antillais (limite maximale fixée à 10 et 20 µg chlordécone /kg poids frais repsectivement dans le foie et l'oeuf et de 100 µg/kg de matière grasse dans le gras). Il s'avère que la contamination des denrées au chlordécone est due au fait que les sols d'anciennes bananeraies autrefois traités au chlordécone (principalement des andosols, des nitisols et des ferrisols) demeurent contaminés. L'andosol contient de l'argile allophane, structure qui confère une microporosité élevée par l'enchevêtrement de motifs particulaires répétés à plusieurs échelles. Le chlordécone de l'andosol a été potentiellement piégé par ce réseau de micropores et est supposé être fortement retenu. Au contraire, le nitisol contient de l'argile halloysite, dont la structure correspond à une superposition de couches et ménage une faible porosité. Notre hypothèse est que le chlordécone est moins retenu par le nitisol que par l'andosol. Les animaux monogastriques élevés en plein air (porcin, volaille) sont susceptibles d'ingérer du sol de manière involontaire. Chez la poule pondeuse, les niveaux d'ingestion de sol peuvent atteindre 25 % de la ration alimentaire journalière dans le cas d'une réduction du couvert végétal et/ou d'un rationnement alimentaire. L'ingestion de sol pour le porcin a été peu étudiée. Nous avons cherché à déterminer les aptitudes d'un andosol et d'un nitisol à retenir le chlordécone durant le processus digestif. Pour cela nous avons évalué la biodisponibilité relative du chlordécone d'un andosol et d'un nitisol chez l'animal monogastrique. La détermination de la biodisponibilité relative repose sur la comparaison des pentes entre la réponse (concentration de chlordécone dans les matrices animales) obtenue lors des doses croissantes de chlordécone ingérées via la matrice testée (l'andosol ou le nitisol) à la réponse obtenue lors des mêmes doses de chlordécone ingérées via une matrice de référence (huile). Les résultats obtenus chez la poule pondeuse et le porcelet ont indiqué que l'andosol et le nitisol n'affectent pas la biodisponibilité du chlordécone. Ainsi, la biodisponibilité relative du chlordécone des sols étudiés a été identique et considérée égale à 100% aussi bien chez la poule que chez le porcelet. Le chlordécone du sol a donc été extrait durant le processus digestif et absorbé par l'animal monogastrique à l'identique du chlordécone dissous dans de l'huile. Le chlordécone du sol est donc assimilable par l'animal d'élevage. Ainsi, les sols contaminés en chlordécone présentent un réel risque pour la filière animale. Les teneurs en chlordécone des produits (foie, gras, oeuf) ont dépassé les limites maximales acceptables dès lors que les animaux monogastriques ont ingéré 6,8 µg chlordécone /jour/kg de poids vif. Sachant que 10% des sols cultivables contiennent au moins 1 mg chlordécone /kg, dès lors qu'un animal monogastrique (poule pondeuse ou porcelet) ingère 17 % de sol dans sa ration alimentaire quotidienne, les teneurs en chlordécone des produits dépasseront les limites maximales et seront « impropres » à la consommation. Il convient ainsi d'identifier les pratiques d'élevage à risques pour préconiser des mesures limitant la contamination des produits animaux au chlordécone / Chlordecone (CLD) is an organochlorine pesticide used in the French West Indies against black weevil Cosmopolites sordidus. This pesticide was banned in 1993, because of the toxicity and persistence of this compound in the environment. However, several studies indicated that the population is already exposed to chlordecone (contaminated blood and maternal milk, chlordecone transfer to the mother from the child, memory delay in child and risk to the prostate cancer) particularly by food ingestion. Since 2008, European Regulation °396/2005 is applied in French West Indies (maximal limit fixed at 10 and 20 µg chlordecone/kg of fresh weight in liver and egg and at 100 µg chlordecone /kg of fat in fat). Soils of banana crops previously treated by chlordecone (mainly andosols, nitisols, ferrisols) are still contaminated and are the major source of contamination of food products. Andosol contains allophane clay structure which allows a high microporosity with the formation of particle aggregates in a pattern repeated at different scales. chlordecone would be strongly trapped by this micropores structure and supposed to be strongly retained. Nitisol contains halloysite clayed structure composed to the clay layers superposition with a low porosity. Our hypothesis is that chlordécone is less retained by nitisol than by andosol. Monogastric animals reared outside (pig, poultry) may involuntary ingest soil. It has been shown that hen can ingest soil amounts corresponding to 25 % of the daily ration in the case of vegetation reduction and of nutritional imbalance. Soil ingestion by pig was less studied. In the frame of this research work, we determined andosol and nitisol capacities to retain chlordecone during the digestive process. The relative bioavailability of soil-bound chlordecone in monogastric farm animals (laying hen and juvenile swine) was established. The relative bioavailability determination consists to the slope comparison between the response (concentrations of chlordecone in animal matrices) obtained with increasing chlordecone doses via andosol or nitisol and the response obtained with the same chlordecone ingestion doses via a reference matrix (oil). Results showed that andosol and nitisol did not reduce the chlordecone bioavailability. Thus, relative bioavailability of soil-bound chlordecone was considered to be equal to 100% in laying hen and in juvenile swine. chlordecone was extracted during the digestive process and was absorbed by the monogastric animals. Thus, soil-bound chlordecone is directly assimilated by monogastric farm animals. Concentrations of chlordecone in animal products (liver, fat, egg) exceeded maximal limits for a chlordecone ingestion at least equal to 6.8 µg chlordecone/day/kg of body weight. Since 10% of agricultural soils are contaminated with at least 1 mg/kg, the ingestion of 17% of soil in the daily food ration will result in animal products not acceptable for human consumption. Therefore, it is important to characterize the risk livestock farming practices in order to limit the contamination of food products