One of the main concerns of those who seek to consume organic food is to be sure that the product was actually grown without the use of pesticides or other chemical pesticides. The problem is that it is not always possible to trust the information on the fruit and vegetable signs or on the packaging seals.
To solve this problem, a group of researchers from Unicamp (State University of Campinas) developed software that allows identifying the presence of pesticides in different crops.
During the research, tests were carried out with tomatoes, and with the use of artificial intelligence it was verified that about 30% of the samples of tomatoes certified as organic contain traces of chemical residues.
The next phase of the project is to create a type of equipment, with an embedded chip, that can be used easily and simply by the final consumer. The research lasted about two years and was carried out by professors and graduate students from the FCF (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), based on a previous partnership with the IC (Institute of Computing).
According to Unicamp, the joint work allowed the combination of two methods: the use of a mass spectrometer, which measures the weight of molecules, and machine learning – a branch of artificial intelligence –, which allowed the creation of a model for the identification of the substances.
“The analysis is done by a program, a software with algorithms that are fed by markers of organic cultures with comparison with normal cultures [com agrotóxicos]. It looks for differences and similarities”, explains Professor Rodrigo Catharino, coordinator of the FCF Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, where the study is carried out.
The software, says the professor, also maps the natural and beneficial substances in tomatoes, such as lycopene, beta-carotene, among others. After collecting the material, in the region of the tomato peduncle (the division between the fruit and the plant), by means of a silicon plate, the sample is placed in a solution inside tubes and goes to the spectrometer.
The collected substances are identified using artificial intelligence. All of this is done in approximately ten minutes.
The research collected samples of 80 organic and 80 non-organic tomatoes purchased from markets around the university. According to Catharino, the fruit was chosen because it is one of the main crops in Brazil and because it concentrates the pesticides in the peduncle, facilitating the analysis.
One of the pesticides found in the samples, according to the survey, was Carbendazim, one of the most used in the country, which is the world record holder in the use of chemical defensives, says Unicamp.
The product, in 2022, was banned by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency). A timetable was created for the gradual elimination of the defensive, but according to the university, a draft Legislative Decree seeks to reverse the decision. The substance is associated with the risk of cancer and has already been banned in several countries.
The professor points out that 30% of the organic samples that are not organic is really a high number. This type of deviation can be resolved from the new research.
“Research can reveal fraud, it can give the organic market greater credibility because not every time you go to the supermarket you are sure that that organic seal is real. The products are more expensive and, sometimes, you will buy thinking that it’s organic and it’s not. It’s a new technology precisely for the population to have access to,” he says.
The research technology is ready and patented by Unicamp, available to be licensed to companies that may be interested.
Final costumer
The researchers are now working on the development of a small, simple-to-use piece of equipment, with a chip with embedded technology, to be made available to the final public, such as consumers or fruit and vegetable owners.
The intention is also, in some way, to make the technology available to the control bodies to further facilitate the certification of truly organic products.
“We are available, open, so that companies that are interested can license the software or also invest in research for the development of this equipment to facilitate the arrival of technology to people’s daily lives”, says Catharino.
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