December 14, 2022, 4:47 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
There are fruits that gain aroma over time and become increasingly delicious–like bananas–and there are those that quickly lose quality and become shriveled. Citrus fruits face this fate: Once harvested, they are already on the path to decay. To ensure mandarins, grapefruits, and the like look appealing on our supermarket shelves and don’t mold, they are treated with pesticides after harvest–and these are anything but harmless. But what exactly does our body absorb when we press fresh orange juice? How many mandarins can we safely enjoy?
Citrus fruits are among the types of fruit that do not ripen after harvest and must therefore be picked at the optimal ripeness. After that, there are two options. Either they end up as untreated citrus fruits in our organic stores, where they start to mold quite quickly. Or they are treated with fungicidal pesticides to extend their shelf life. These prevent the orange from molding and give it a shiny peel for weeks. The downside: The substance is not only on the peel… it penetrates–albeit in minuscule amounts–into the fruit’s interior. How many mandarins and the like can one safely eat per day? And is it enough to wash your hands before consumption?
Overview
What Are Pesticides?
Pesticides are all plant protection products. They fall into four groups: herbicides (combat weeds), insecticides (combat insects), molluscicides (combat snails), and fungicides (combat fungi).
The Fine Print on Our Citrus Fruits
In fact, you have to study the price tag on the lemon net very carefully to find out which active ingredients have been used. And they are all tongue-twisters: “Imazalil,” “Orthophenylphenol,” “Thiabendazole,” “Pyrimethanil,” which doesn’t exactly make you want to learn more about them. (By the way, you can see how our editors failed at pronouncing them in the video below).
How Are Limits for Toxic Substances Set?
In fact, you have to study the price tag on the lemon net very carefully to understand which active ingredients are used. And they are all tongue-twisters, which doesn’t exactly make you want to learn more about them. “Imazalil,” “Orthophenylphenol,” “Thiabendazole,” “Pyrimethanil,” which doesn’t exactly make you want to delve deeper into the subject. (By the way, you can see how our editors failed at this in the video below).
How Are Limits for Toxic Substances Set?
These limits result in the so-called maximum residue level. The ADI: Acceptable Daily Intake is the dose that can be consumed daily for a lifetime without problems, according to current knowledge. ARfD: Acute Reference Dose is the amount that can be consumed in a single day without adverse effects.
- ADI: Acceptable Daily Intake – the dose that can be consumed daily for a lifetime without problems, according to current knowledge
- ARfD: Acute Reference Dose – the amount that can be consumed in a single day without adverse effects
Also interesting: Despite high sugar content – Why orange juice isn’t so bad after all
Wax-Treated Citrus Fruits
For example, a person weighing 154 pounds (70 kilograms) would reach the ADI dose by consuming 1.75 milligrams of the fungicide daily. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), about 0.02 milligrams of the substance are found in approximately 154 pounds (70 kilograms) of citrus fruit flesh. For our 154-pound person, this means they can safely eat 192.5 pounds of orange or mandarin flesh per day. The ARfD is only reached at over 220 pounds.
Dip-Treated Citrus Fruits
It’s different for dip-treated citrus fruits: Here, the person reaches the ADI dose by consuming just 5.5 pounds of fruit flesh. However, this treatment method is hardly used in the EU anymore, according to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). “Toxic doses are certainly not reached through the fruit flesh of conventionally treated citrus fruits,” assures Jürgen Thier-Kundke from the BfR.
But what about contamination from the fruit peel, where most of the pesticides remain? Is it enough to wash your hands after peeling or juicing?
Pesticides on the Peel: Is It Enough to Wash Your Hands After Peeling or Juicing?
Fungicides are quite water-soluble. Before you press fresh orange juice or peel a mandarin, be sure to wash the peel with lukewarm water. Is it enough to wash your hands after peeling or juicing?
Also interesting: How healthy are mandarins really?
The Difference Between Mandarins and Clementines
Brain Damage in Babies Linked to Insecticide on Citrus Fruits
5 Tips for Handling Treated Citrus Fruits
- Do not consume treated peels under any circumstances.
- Make sure no peel parts get into the juice.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling treated fruits.
- In supermarkets, declaration is mandatory. If you shop at the market, be sure to ask.
Better Organic…
Consider buying organically grown citrus fruits. None of the mentioned substances are allowed there. But don’t forget: The produce can spoil faster! So, buy only what you need.