Pesticide Detection
Pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs) are among the leading causes of export rejections for Sri Lankan agricultural products in EU and Japanese markets. Diuron and MCPA are both regulated at very low MRL thresholds (0.05 mg/kg for tea in the EU) and are commonly detected in compliance failures. Current MRL testing requires full analytical chemistry laboratory infrastructure (LC-MS/MS), takes 5–10 business days, and costs significantly per sample - making routine pre-export screening economically impractical for small and medium exporters.
Findings
What We've Established
NIR for Pesticide Screening - State of Research
Direct NIR detection of pesticides at MRL-relevant concentrations (sub-ppm) in agricultural matrices is technically challenging and has been demonstrated only in controlled laboratory conditions. The more practical approach is using NIR as a first-pass triage tool: flagging samples for full LC-MS/MS analysis rather than replacing it. This screening application requires less sensitivity and is achievable with current NIR technology.
Market Demand Confirmed
The EU's pesticide residue monitoring programme has resulted in over 20 documented rejections of Sri Lankan tea and spice consignments in the past three years. Exporters are actively seeking pre-shipment screening options. Initial outreach to three export-focused testing laboratories confirmed commercial interest in a rapid triage solution.
Methodology
Technical Approach
First-pass screening model: flag samples with spectral profiles deviating from a clean-sample reference distribution. This approach requires a large set of authenticated clean samples (negative controls) and deliberately contaminated samples at and above MRL thresholds. A collaborative data collection with a pesticide testing laboratory is the proposed path to generating a calibration dataset.
Status
Where We Stand
Initial contact has been made with potential laboratory collaboration partners. Awaiting confirmation of interest and discussion of data-sharing terms for reference sample preparation.
Roadmap
Next Steps
Confirm laboratory partnership for spiked sample preparation and reference LC-MS/MS analysis
Define the screening sensitivity and specificity targets acceptable for a triage application
Design a structured calibration dataset covering Diuron, MCPA, and the three most common co-detected compounds
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Interested in This Research?
If you have relevant data, domain expertise, or a measurement problem in this area, we're open to research collaboration and data-sharing agreements.