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Too long to look at
The claim that strawberries are the dirtiest fruit is not scientific.
Pesticide residues in strawberries do not need to be worried about in general.
Strawberries are low in calories, have little effect on blood sugar, and can also improve blood lipids.
Be sure to "don't" remove strawberries when washing them.
Recently, strawberries have been cheaper than before, so I have bought strawberries more often.
Family members will come over and remind: "Strawberries are the dirtiest fruit!" ”
1
The "dirtiest fruit" is still safe to eat
The so-called "strawberries are the dirtiest fruit" news, I first wrote about the science, about 10 years ago, when I was still writing columns for some media. I wrote one when the list came out in 2011, and I wrote another one when the list came out in 2012, which directly saved me 2 topics.
An organization in the United States called EWG (Environmental Working Group, Environmental Working Group) will annually select the fruits and vegetables with the most serious pesticide residues in the previous year based on pesticide residue testing data from the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, and strawberries have ranked first for many years... [1]
Image from references[1]
It sounds like a serious selection, but in fact, the EWG is just a non-governmental environmental organization, not an official organization, it is only ranked according to the data.
The key problem is that the ranking of this data is based on the type, as long as there are many types of pesticides detected, even if they do not exceed the safety standards, they will be ranked first.
There are many types of pesticide residues≠ pesticide residues exceed the standard
Or listen to the interpretation of the data by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, the official agencies that release the data:
Whether it's fresh, frozen, or processed food, the vast majority of pesticide residues are below safety limits, so there's no need to worry about safety. [2]
Image from references[2]
Therefore, although there are more types of pesticide residues detected in strawberries than other fruits and vegetables, they do not exceed the safety limit standards, and they are still safe and edible cute strawberries
2
What about strawberries in China?
There must be readers and friends who say that it is useless to debunk foreign strawberries, and I eat Chinese strawberries.
Indeed, in the largest country in the production and consumption of strawberries, we eat domestic strawberries.
Strawberries are infested with many pests and diseases and need to be "protected" by pesticides
The strawberries we eat in winter and spring are all grown in greenhouses, and the high temperature and high humidity environment is very suitable for the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, and a variety of pesticides are used many times in the production process. [3]
Take the strawberries in Hangzhou as an example, there are as many as 15 kinds of common diseases and insect pests, gray mold, powdery mildew, anthrax, red spiders, aphids, thrips, etc. Which one cannot be cured, we have to say goodbye to delicious strawberries ~ [3,4]
Pesticide residues are mostly below the safety limit standard
Before the strawberry planting and production, there was indeed a problem of indiscriminate use of pesticides, and quality and safety problems also occurred from time to time, but the state and various regions actively updated and issued corresponding national standards and industry guidelines to guide strawberry producers to use drugs scientifically, and the supervision became more and more stringent, basically realizing the effective prevention and control of the main diseases and insect pests of strawberries and improving the safety and quality level of strawberries.
In recent years, from the sampling data, the pesticide residues of strawberries have basically been controlled below the safety standards.
In the results of the 2018 fruit national food safety supervision and sampling, a total of 30 batches of strawberries were sampled, all of which were qualified. [5]
Image from references[5]
In 2020, the Xi'an Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Inspection and Monitoring Center tested the main pesticide residues in local strawberries, and 130 of the 168 batches detected pesticide residues, accounting for 77.38%, but the risk of pesticide residue dietary intake was within the acceptable range. [6]
Image from references[6]
In a study published in 2020, which tested 120 samples from the main strawberry-producing areas of five facilities in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Liaoning, although the pesticide detection rate was 100%, that is, pesticide residues were detected, the chronic and acute dietary intake risk of all detected pesticides was relatively small and within the acceptable range, of which the 23 pesticides with the maximum residue limit values in strawberries set by the Continental or Codex Alimentarius Commission did not exceed the standard. [7]
The standards can be a little more stringent
At present, the strawberries on the mainland are generally safe and can be eaten with confidence. However, from the perspective of standards and implementation, there are still some problems that need to be promoted and improved.
For some pesticides, the lack of limit standards and testing method standards is easy to make producers misunderstand and overuse on the one hand, thereby increasing the risk of strawberry pesticide residue pollution, on the other hand, it will also lead to the inability to evaluate the quality and safety of strawberries. [3]
Pesticide residue limit standards in strawberries are still insufficient
The latest national standard GB 2763-2019 "National Standard for Food Safety Pesticide Maximum Residue Limits" for pesticides applicable to strawberries has been increased to 125 items, but of which only 69 pesticide maximum residue limit standards for strawberries are formulated (and 56 are for berries and other small fruits, fruits (except for separate listed) these two groups of crops), lower than the 490 in the European Union, 308 in Japan, and 115 in the United States. Slightly higher than the Codex Alimentarius Commission's (CAC) 62 items.
The limit standards for the production of drugs and the registration of drugs are missing
Some commonly used pesticides in strawberry production are not registered for use in strawberries, and there is no limit standard for these pesticides in the standards. Some of the pesticides registered on strawberries on the mainland do not stipulate a maximum residual dose.
Limited standard supporting technology needs to be supplemented urgently
The new standard GB 2763-2019 specifies the maximum residue limits for 17 pesticides such as paraquat, phenylketone, pyridoxine, dimethiapramine, etc., but does not give the corresponding detection methods...
3
Are strawberries worth eating?
Solving the problem of strawberry safety, let's talk about its nutritional cost performance.
As mentioned earlier, the strawberries eaten in winter and spring are all grown in greenhouses, and the cost is relatively high. Coupled with the delicate and fragile texture of strawberries, the picking, transportation, packaging process will add additional costs, so the strawberries we buy are very expensive.
Still, I suggest that if you have the conditions, you should eat strawberries (and other berries with berries in the name).
First of all, strawberries are relatively low in calories, only 32kcal/100g, far lower than bananas, apples, and even kiwis and oranges,[8] which are weight-friendly fruits. (But it can't stop you from eating one pot at a time)
Then, although the strawberry tastes sweet, the taste is mainly because of the strong aroma, and the total sugar amount is really not too high, which may also be related to its high fructose ratio and sweetness.
The glycemic index of strawberries themselves is only 40 [9], which has a very small impact on blood sugar, and eating strawberries before meals can also delay the blood glucose response after meals and improve blood lipid status. Studies have shown that people who eat more strawberries are healthier in terms of cardiovascular disease than people who don't eat strawberries much. [12]
You can click on the larger image to understand the results of clinical trials. Image courtesy of Afrin, Sadia, et al. "Promising health benefits of the strawberry: a focus on clinical studies." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 64.22 (2016): 4435-4449.
In addition to the high vitamin C content (58.8mg/100g) comparable to citrus fruits, strawberries are also rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Among them, antioxidants such as anthocyanins, anthocyanins, catechins, etc., can reduce chronic inflammation and attract the attention of researchers as potential neuroprotective agents. Eating berries for a long time may also have potential benefits for slowing cognitive decline. [10,11]
4
How to wash strawberries to be assured?
Strawberries are delicious and worth eating, but readers who are worried about pesticide residues are still particularly anxious: although the overall view is indeed safe, the current standard is not so perfect, and strawberries do not have inedible peel protection, is there any way for me to eat with peace of mind?
There are pesticide residues are not terrible, "washing" on the line.
Researchers have long helped us find a way to efficiently clean strawberries, which can greatly reduce the pesticide residues on strawberries. [12,13]
The most critical operation: do not pick strawberry stalks!
Whether you're doing the full set of steps or lazy and just doing the first step, the most critical operations are:
Don't pick strawberry stalks!
The test results have confirmed that no matter which cleaning method, the pesticide residue is lower than that of the strawberry stalk. Because, if the strawberry stalk is removed, the residual pesticide will enter the fruit with the water, causing more serious pollution.
Image from references[12]
Step 1: Rinse with running water
Flowing water washes away dust, eggs, and some pesticides attached to the surface of the fruit.
Go to the strawberry farm to pick strawberries, just pick them and eat them, it is not OK. Even if the problem of pesticide residues is not considered, the hygiene of strawberries should be paid attention to.
Step 2: Steep for 5-10 minutes
Soak in light salt water, rice water, baking soda or water for 5-10 minutes.
For the best soaking solution, the different test conclusions are not consistent, but in general, the bubble is better than not soaking, and the light brine, rice water, and baking soda solution are better than water.
To remind everyone, the strawberries are delicate, it is best not to soak for a long time, 5 minutes is almost. In addition, baking soda solution may have an effect on the water-soluble vitamins of strawberries, and the solution is not as thick as possible when formulating the solution.
Light salt water (2.5 grams of salt plus water to 500 ml) can kill the harmful microorganisms remaining on the surface of the strawberry, so that the insects and eggs attached to the surface of the strawberry float up, which is easy to be washed away by water and has a certain disinfection effect.
2% baking soda solution (2 grams of baking soda with water to 100 ml) and taomi water are weakly alkaline, which can neutralize some acidic pesticides and achieve the effect of decomposing pesticides.
Step 3: Punch again
After soaking, rinse with flowing water, you can eat with confidence
The strawberry season is almost over, so eat more quickly and give this strawberry season a satisfying ending
Resources
[1] The Dirty Dozen list- EWG's 2021 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php
[2] USDA Office of Pest Management Policy Factsheet Pesticide Residues on Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved March 27, 2022, https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/OPMP-Pesticide-Tolerances-Factsheet.pdf#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Food%20and%20Drug%20Administration%20%28FDA%29%20also,tolerances%2C%20and%2047%25%20had%20no%20detectable%20Both%20residues.
[3] Wu Shengdang,Wang Jingwen,Liu Xinju,An Xuehua,Jiang Jinhua,Lv Lu,Li Gang,Wang Feidi,Zhao Xueping. New progress of maximum residue limit standards for pesticides in strawberries in mainland China[J].Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, 2020(02):70-76.
[4] Wu Shengdang,Zhao Xueping,Yang Guiling,Yu Yijun,Lu Jianfei,Tong Yingfu,Cang Tao,Zhang Zhiheng,Wang Qiang. Zhejiang Agricultural Group Standard "Guidelines for the Safe Use of Strawberries in Greenhouses"[J].Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences,2015,56(11):1718-1720+1723.DOI:10.16178/j.issn.0528-9017.20151106.
2018 Fruit National Food Safety Supervision and Sampling Results[J].Journal of Food Safety and Quality Testing,2019,10(17):DOI:10.10.19812/j.cnki.jfsq11-5956/ts.2019.17.022.
[6] Yan Ni,Wang Wensi,Shi Ji,Cai Xin,Ren Xiaojiao. Risk assessment of pesticide residues in strawberries[J].Anhui Agricultural Sciences,2020,48(15):200-204.
Ban Sifan,Li Chunmei,He Qinghua,Zhou Jie,Su Hang,Deng Chao,Wang Qi,Hu Xuejun,Liu Guiqiao,Jin Fen. Dietary risk assessment of pesticide residues in strawberries cultivated in facilities[J].Food Industry Science and Technology,2020,41(03):212-220.DOI:10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2020.03.036.
[8] USDA, FoodData Central, Strawberries, raw. Available at: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167762/nutrients
[9] The University of Sydney, Glycemic Index, Strawberries, fresh, raw. Available at: https://glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php?num=384&ak=detail
[10] Forbes-Hernandez, Tamara Y., et al. "The healthy effects of strawberry polyphenols: which strategy behind antioxidant capacity?." Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 56.sup1 (2016): S46-S59.
[11] Subash, Selvaraju, et al. "Neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases." Neural regeneration research 9.16 (2014): 1557.
[12] Shen Qinglong,Zhang Lengsi,Hou Lili,Qi Yu. Effects of different cleaning methods on the removal of pesticide residues in strawberries[J].Agricultural Development and Equipment, 2018(12):120+123.
[13] JIN Shaoming,NING Xiao,GAO Wenchao,HE Huan,CAO Jin,DING Hong. Study on the effect of different cleaning methods on the cleaning effect of pesticide residues in strawberries[J].Journal of Food Safety and Quality Inspection,2017,8(07):2549-2554.