Estimation of pesticide residues on leafy vegetables using a developed handheld spectrometer

In this study, a rapid and non-destructive detection model for pesticide residues on leafy vegetables was presented using a developed portable spectrometer. VIS/NIR spectra of three vegetable samples, including lettuce, oriental mustard, and bok choy, were analyzed at the range of 380 – 840 nm. Stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) models were developed based on chemical reference measurements and the spectral information of the leaf samples after performing the pre-processing method. Furthermore, a data acquisition interface was developed by Matlab GUI. Results of SMLR procedure indicated good performance for detection of indoxacarb and chlorantraniliprole with R2 ≥ 0.90. A fairly good model (0.90 > R2 > 0.80) was obtained for carbendazim in lettuce, whereas a poor model was found for emamectin-benzoate with R2 ≤ 0.80. It was concluded that pesticide residues on leafy vegetables could be predicted using our developed handheld spectrometer. It can also be generalized for the prediction of other pesticide components in agricultural products. © 2021 by the authors.