Analysis of quality and pesticide residues in table tomato fruits sold in the state of Goiás

The cultivation of tomatoes for fresh consumption has significant cultural and economic value in the country, especially the State of Goiás, as the largest tomato producer. Usually the fruits of the tamateiro are the subject of reports of contamination with residues of pesticides, causing a negative impact on their commercialization, since the consumer is concerned about the quality of the food and rejects products that present harmful substances. Given this scenario, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) created the Program for the Analysis of Residues of Pesticides in Food (PARA), which aims to monitor the residues of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. As it is a comprehensive program, it does not detail specific information for each crop, for example, tomatoes and strawberries, which are frequently reported with the presence of pesticide residues. Due to the importance of knowledge about the presence of pesticide residues in food for the purchase decision by consumers and the State of Goiás being one of the largest producers, this project aims to assess the real percentage of tomato fruits sold in Goiás that present residues of pesticides. These data will be important to support decision-making in public policies for the tomato chain in Goiás and to bring to society simple and effective options for decontamination of this fruit. It is also worth noting the creation of a new line of research with a bias for the assessment of pesticide residues in fresh vegetables at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), providing the training of professionals to work in reducing the use of pesticides in vegetables .