Testing for pesticide residues
Producing organically grown green cardamom is difficult...
In general, perception is widespread that it is near impossible to produce fully organically grown green cardamom. There are several practical difficulties involved in achieving this feat and, as we set out from the start to deal with each one of them hands-on and one at a time, we were conscious of the fact that, prior to receiving formal organic certification, it would be difficult for us to prove that our spices were genuinely and completely organic.
Thus, it was to underscore the genuinely organic antecedents of our produce that we undertook to get lots of our green cardamom routinely tested for pesticide residues.
We take great pride in the fact that our green cardamom samples are found to not merely have 'less' pesticides but, in fact, to actually contain no detectable levels of the chemical pesticides tested.
Organic Certification Testing
As part of the stringent final clearance process of formal NPOP organic certification for spice production, dhaani naturals green cardamom samples were sent for comprehensive pesticide testing at a third-party NABL-accredited laboratory by the certifying agency in April 2022.
Our samples underwent rigorous residue testing for up to 188 pesticides as part of their protocols and were found to contain no detectable levels of any of the tested pesticides.
The analysed sample was deemed in accordance to EU regulation (EC) 396/2005 (regulation on maximum residue levels in food and feed).
Pesticides tested include:
Ethylene oxide (sum, ethylene oxide, 2-chloro-ethanol, as ethylene oxide), 1-naphthylacetic acid (sum, 1-naphthylacetamide and 1-naphthylacetamide), 2,4-D, 3-hydroxycarbofuran, 4-CPA (4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid), abamectin (sum, avermectin B1a, avermectin B1b), acephate, acetamiprid, afidopyropen, alachlor, ametoctradin, azadirachtin, azoxystrobin, bifenazate (sum, bifenazate, bifenazate-diazene), bitertanol, boscalid, buprofezin (buprofexin), butachlor, carbaryl, carbendazim (sum, benomyl, carbendazim), carbofuran (sum, carbofuran, carbosulfan, benfuracarb, furathiocarb, 3-OH carbofuran), carboxin, cartap, chlorantraniliprole, chlorfluazuron, chlorothalonil, chlorpropham, clofentezine, clothianidin, cyantraniliprole, cyazofamid, cyflumetofen, cymoxanil, dazomet, diafenthiuron, diazinon, difenoconazole, diflubenzuron, dimethoate, dimethomorph, dinotefuran, dithianon, diuron, dodine, edifenphos, emamectin (emamectin benzoate), ethion, ethiprole, famoxadone, fenazaquin, fenhexamid, fenobucarb, fenpyroximate, fenthion (sum, fenthion, fenthion sulfone, fenthion sulfoxide), flonicamid (sum, flonicamid, TFNA, TFNG), fluazifop, flubendiamide, flufenoxuron, flufenzine, fluopicolide, fluopyram, flupyradifurone, flusilazole, fluxapyroxad, forchlorfenuron (CPPU), hexaconazole, hexythiazox, imidacloprid, indoxacarb, iodosulfuron methyl, iprovalicarb, isoproturon, linuron, lufenuron, malathion (sum, malathion, malaoxon), mandipropamid, metalaxyl (incl. metalaxyl-M), methamidophos, methomyl, metolachlor (incl. S-metolachlor), monocrotophos, myclobutanil, novaluron, omethoate (dimethoate oxygen analog), oxycarboxin (carboxin sulfone), oxydemeton-methyl (sum, oxydemeton-methyl, demeton-S-methylsulfone), paclobutrazol, penconazole, pencycuron, phorate (sum, phorate, phorate sulfone, phorate sulfoxide), phosphamidon, picoxystrobin, pirimiphos-methyl, propamocarb, propanil, propargite, propiconazole, pymetrozine, pyraclostrobin, pyriproxyfen, simazine, spinetoram, spinosad (sum, spinosyn A, spinosyn D), spirotetramat (sum, spirotetramat, spirotetramat metabolite BYI08330-enol, spirotetramat mono-hydroxy), sulfoxaflor (sum, isomers), tebuconazole, temephos, TFNA (flonicamid metabolite), TFNG (flonicamid metabolite), thiabendazole, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, thiodicarb, thiophanate-methyl, tolfenpyrad, triazophos, trichlorfon (dylox), tricyclazole, tridemorph, trifloxystrobin, 4-bromo-2-chlorophenol (profenophos metabolite), 4-chloro-3-methylphenol, allethrin, bioallethrin, atrazine, bifenthrin, captafol, carbosulfan, chlordane (sum, chlordane-cis, chlordane-trans), chlorfenapyr, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos (chlorpyrifos ethyl), chlorpyrifos methyl, cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin-lambda, cypermethrin, DDT (sum, DDT-o,p, DDT-p,p, (TDE-p,p)DDD-p,p, DDD-p,p), deltamethrin, dichlorvos (DDVP), dicofol (kelthane) (sum, dicofol-o,p, dicofol-p,p), dieldrin (sum, aldrin, dieldrin), endosulfan (sum, endosulfan-alpha, endosulfan-beta, endosulfan sulfate), endrin, epoxiconazole, esfenvalerate, etofenprox, etoxazole, etrimfos, fenamidone, fenarimol, fenitrothion, fenpropathrin, fenvalerate (incl. esfenvalerate), fipronil (sum, fipronil, fipronil sulfone), flufenacet, HCH-(alpha, beta, gamma), heptachlor (sum, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide), iprobenfos, iprodione, isoprothiolane, kresoxim-methyl, metrafenone, metribuzin, oxadiazon, oxyfluorfen, parathion methyl (sum, parathion methyl, paraoxon methyl), pendimethalin, permethrin (sum, isomers), phenthoate, phosalone, profenofos, propetamphos, propoxur, pyridaben, quinalphos, spirodiclofen, spiromesifen, tau-fluvalinate, tetraconazole, transfluthrin, triadimefon, triadimenol, trifluralin, anthraquinon, 2 phenyl phenol, flufenacet, chlormequat (CCC) (sum, chlormequat and salts, as chlormequat-chloride) and 6-benzyl adenine
Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory (PRRAL), Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram
Our cardamom samples are sent for routine comprehensive pesticide residue tests at PRRAL, Thiruvananthapuram, since October 2018. They have been consistently found to contain no traces (i.e., below quantitation levels) of any of the pesticides tested.
Our cardamom samples, which were tested for nearly 45 pesticides until late 2019, are being tested for up to 93 pesticides since early 2020.
These include:
Organochlorines
alpha HCH, beta HCH, gamma HCH/lindane, delta HCH, endosulfan-I, endosulfan-II, P,P'-DDE, P,P'-DDD and endosulfan sulfate
Organophosphorous
phorate, dimethoate, chlorpyriphos, malathion, methyl parathion, quinalphos, profenophos, ethion, phenthoate, phosalone, phosphamidone and triazophos
Synthetic pyrethroids and herbicides
fenvalerate, lambda-cyhalothrin, alpha cypermethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, fenpropathrin, bifenthrin, pendimethalin, fluchloralin and deltamethrin
Carbamates and new molecules
spirotetramat, chloranthraniliprole, fipronil, fenpyroximate, indoxacarb, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, carbaryl, carbofuran, carbofuran-3-hydroxy, thiacloprid, methomyl, acetamiprid, trifloxystrobin, tebuconazole, flubendiamide, hexaconazole, carbosulfan, metalaxyl, monocrotophos, novaluron, acephate, buprofezin, carbendazim, carbofuran-3-keto, chlorpyriphos-methyl, pencycuron, propiconazole, spinosad-D, pyriproxifen, pyraclostrobin, thiodicarb, tricyclazole, tridemorph, quizalofop-ethyl, paraoxon-methyl, aldicarb, azoxystrobin, bendiocarb, benfuracarb, clothianidin, cymoxanil, diazinon, dichlorvos, difenoconazole, dinotefuran, edifenphos, emamectin B1a-benzoate, emamectin B1b-benzoate, ethiprole, etofenprox, fenamidone, fenazaquin, fenthion, flufenoxuron, flusilazole, imazethapyr, iprovalicarb, kresoxim-methyl, lufenuron, malaoxon, spinosad-A and dicofol
Quality Evaluation Laboratory (QEL), Spices Board, Kochi
Our cardamom sample, which was initially tested for compliance with ASTA specifications at QEL, Kochi, in October 2018, showed no traces of the tested pesticides, including:
Chlorpyriphos, ethion, iprobenphos, methyl parathion, parathion, phorate, profenofos and triazophos