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Levels of organochlorine contaminants in natural bovine milk marketed in Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Brazil

ABSTRACT.

Analyzing the organochlorine pesticide (OCP) content in milk is relevantbecause it helps evaluate the quality of milk that reaches the consumer's table and also helps identify the geographical areas where there is a high possibility of contamination. Accordingly,thispilot project was aimed at determining the extent of contamination by OCP residues and their metabolites in fresh cow's milk in Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Pará, using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). The OCPs evaluated in this study weredichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD)), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) (α, β, γ, and δ), endosulfanα and β, andendosulfansulfate. None of the thirty bovine milk samples analyzedshowed any contamination with OCPs.TheOCP content was within the limit of quantification of the method. The results of this study add to the existing knowledge on the quality ofbovine milk produced in these locations. However, further researchon other environmental matricesis required to confirm the results obtained in this study.

Keywords:
contamination; DDT; SPE; GC-ECD; lipids

Introduction

Pesticides are used to control pests and pathogenic organisms that compromise agricultural production. However, improper application of pesticides is responsible for environmental contamination and associated public health hazards. These substances reach humans via different environmental routes and could pose health issues (Laabs, Amelung, Pinto, & Zech, 2002Laabs, V., Amelung, W., Pinto, A., & Zech, W. (2002). Fate of pesticides in tropical soils of Brazil under field conditions. Journal of Environmental Quality, 31, 256-268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2002.2560
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, Flores, Ribeiro, Neves, & Queiroz, 2004Flores, A. V., Ribeiro, J. N., Neves, A. A., & Queiroz, E. L. R. (2004). Organochloride: a public health probem. Ambiente & Sociedade, 7(2), 111-125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1414-753X2004000200007
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, Alves, Antoniosi Filho, Oliveira, & Furtado, 2010Alves, M. I. R., Antoniosi Filho, N. R., Oliveira, L. G., & Furtado, S. T. F. (2010). Avaliação da contaminação por pesticidas organoclorados em recursos hídricos do estado de Goiás. Revista Brasileira de Recursos Hídricos, 15, 67-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21168/rbrh.v15n1.p67-74
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). Among pesticides, organochlorine compounds (OCPs) were introduced to improve agricultural production. However, OCPs persist for a long time in the environment and are highly liposoluble. This causes indirect contamination by OCP residues in food, mainly those of animal origin, via the contaminated soil, air, and water (Mello & Silveira, 2012Mello, I. N. K., & Silveira, W. F. (2012). Resíduos de agrotóxicos em produtos de origem animal. Acta Veterinária Brasilica, 6(2), 94-104.; Polder, Skaare, Skjerve, Loken, & Eggesb, 2009Polder, A., Skaare, J., Skjerve, E., Loken, K. B., & Eggesb, M. (2009). Levels of chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in Norwegian breast milk (2002-2006), and factors that may predict the level of contamination. Science of the Total Environment, 407(16), 4584-4590. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.04.032
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; Azeredo et al., 2008Azeredo, A., Torres, J. P. M., Fonseca, M. F., Britto, J. L., Bastos, W. R., Silva, C. E. A., ... Malm, O. (2008). DDT and its metabolites in breast milk from the MadeiraRiver basin in the Amazon, Brazil. Chemosphere , 73, S246-S251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.04.090
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; Wilson & Tisdell, 2001Wilson, C., & Tisdell, C. (2001). Why farmers continue to use pesticides despite environmental, health and sustainability costs. Ecological Economics, 39(3), 449-462. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(01)00238-5
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). Despite the prohibition on theiruse for agricultural purposes since the 1980s, OCPstend to remain in places where they have been banned for many years or even where they have never been used, because they can be carried by atmospheric transport and spread by contaminated water or even food from other regions where their use is allowed (Çok et al., 2012Çok, I., Mazmanci, B., Mazmanci, M. A., Turgut, C., Henkelmann, B., & Schramm, K. W. (2012). Analysis of human milk to assess exposure to PAHs, PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in the vicinity Mediterranean city Mersin, Turkey. Environment international, 40, 63-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2011.11.012
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; Azeredo et al., 2008Azeredo, A., Torres, J. P. M., Fonseca, M. F., Britto, J. L., Bastos, W. R., Silva, C. E. A., ... Malm, O. (2008). DDT and its metabolites in breast milk from the MadeiraRiver basin in the Amazon, Brazil. Chemosphere , 73, S246-S251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.04.090
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
; Zhong, Xu, Chai, & Mao, 2003Zhong, W., Xu, D., Chai, Z., & Mao, X. (2003). Survey of organochlorine pesticides in retail milk from Beijing, P. R. China. Food Additives and Contaminants, 20(3), 254-258. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0265203021000055405
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/...
).

OCPs include chlorinated diphenylmethane derivatives, such asdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD), and methoxychlor, as well as hexachlorobenzene (BHC), hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, and δ-HCH), cyclodienes (aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, chlordane, nonachlor, heptachlor, and heptachlor-epoxide), and chlorinated hydrocarbons (dodecachlor, toxaphene, and chlordecone) (D’Amato, Torres, & Malm, 2002D’amato, C., Torres, J. P. M., & Malm, O. (2002). DDT (diclorodifenil tricloroetano): toxicidade e contaminação ambiental-uma revisão. Química Nova, 25(6/A), 995-1002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422002000600017
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).Foods rich in animal fat are potential sources of these persistent contaminants that bioaccumulate via the food chain (Guan et al., 2009Guan, Y., Wang, J., Ni, H. G., & Zeng, E. Y. (2009). Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in riverine runoff of the Pearl River Delta, China: Assessment of mass loading, input source and environmental fate. Environmental Polluition, 157(2), 618-624. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2008.08.011
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
; Gasull et al., 2010Gasull, M., Porta, M., Pumarega, F., Vioque, J., de Basea, M. B., Puigdomenech, E., ... Malats, J. O. G. N. (2010). The relative influence of diet and serum concentrations of organochlorine compounds on K-ras mutations in exocrine pancreatic cancer. Chemosphere , 79(7), 686-697. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.03.011
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
; Tsiplakou, Anagnostopoulos, Liapis, Haroutounian, & Zervas, 2010Tsiplakou, E., Anagnostopoulos, C. J., Liapis, K., Haroutounian, S. A., & Zervas, G. (2010). Pesticides residues in milks and feedstuff of farm animals drawn from Greece. Chemosphere , 80(5), 504-512. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.04.069
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, Rêgo et al., 2019Rêgo, I. C. V., Santos, G. N. V., Ribeiro, J. S., Lopes, R. B., Santos, S. B., Sousa, A., & Taube, P. S. (2019). Organochlorine pesticides residues in commercial milk: a systematic review. Acta Agronomica, 68(2), 25-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v68n2.77925
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15446...
).

Milk is essential for a healthy and balanced diet and is rich in mineral salts (mainly calcium salts), lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins (Pereira, 2014Pereira, P. C. (2014). Milk nutritional composition and its role in human health. Nutrition, 30(6), 619-627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2013.10.011
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
). However, milk can be contaminated by pesticides, primarily via pastures and feed exposed to such compounds, and by the improper use of veterinary products that defy good agricultural practices.

In the 1970s, the northern territory was developed by the Brazilian government, including road construction, habitation, and land-use projects, mainly along the Cuiabá-Santarém Highway (BR-163) and Belém-Brasília Highway (BR-153) (Walker, Defries, Vera-Diaz, Shimabukuro, & Venturieri, 2010Walker, R., Defries, R., Vera-Diaz, M. D. C., Shimabukuro, Y., & Venturieri, A. (2010). A Expansão da Agricultura Intensiva e Pecuária na AmazôniaBrasileira. Copyright by the American Geophysical Union, 186, 61-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GM000735
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1029/...
). Agricultural production, especially that of soy and corn, in these regions has in creased (Walker et al., 2010Walker, R., Defries, R., Vera-Diaz, M. D. C., Shimabukuro, Y., & Venturieri, A. (2010). A Expansão da Agricultura Intensiva e Pecuária na AmazôniaBrasileira. Copyright by the American Geophysical Union, 186, 61-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GM000735
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1029/...
). However, in the municipalities of Santarém and Belterra, State of Pará, no mechanized production of soy was reported before 1990 (Barros, Lopes, Laurent, & Coelho, 2020Barros, M. J. B., Lopes, L. O. D. C., Laurent, F., & Coelho, A. D. S. (2020). Fronteira agrícola e conflitos territoriais nas Amazônias Brasileiras: a expansão do agronegócio da soja e seus efeitos no planalto de Santarém, Pará-Amazônia-Brasil. Ciência Geográfica, 24(2), 893-911. Retrieved from http://repositorio.ufpa.br/jspui/handle/2011/12759
http://repositorio.ufpa.br/jspui/handle/...
). The introduction of crops that are not well adapted to local conditions predisposes them to compete with native vegetation, and also in creases their susceptibility to fungi, insects, and other pests. This situation forces farmers to use a wide variety of pesticides, including both allowed and banned substances, such as OCPs, which are still found in clandestine markets (Waichman, 2008Waichman, A. V. (2008). Uma proposta de avaliação integrada de risco do uso de agrotóxicos no estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Acta Amazonica, 38, 45-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0044-59672008000100006
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/...
; Flores et al., 2004Flores, A. V., Ribeiro, J. N., Neves, A. A., & Queiroz, E. L. R. (2004). Organochloride: a public health probem. Ambiente & Sociedade, 7(2), 111-125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1414-753X2004000200007
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/...
).

Torres et al. (2002Torres, J. P. M., Pfeiffer, C. W., Marvitkoz, S., Pausa, R., Malm, O., & Japenga, J. (2002). Dichlorodiphnyltrichloroethane in soil, river sediment, and fish in the Amazon in Brazil. Environmental Research, 88(2), 134-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.2001.4312
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1006/...
) detected low concentrations (average value of 100 μg kg-1) of DDT in soil sourced from the Amazon region. This was attributed to its rampant use in sanitary campaigns to combat malaria. The continuous quantification of OCPs in the soil is essential for monitoring contamination sites and tracking the illegal use of these compounds (Villa, Oliveira, & Nogueira, 2011Villa, R., Oliveira, A., & Nogueira, R. (2011). Avaliação dos parâmetros desolubilidade de Hildebrand/Hansen na seleção de solventes para a extração de pesticidas organoclorados no solo. Química Nova , 34(9), 1501-1506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422011000900004
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/...
). The presence of pesticide residues and their metabolites in milk poses a risk to consumer health. Bovine milk has been used in some countries as an indicator of the presence and persistence of chemical substances in agriculture and the environment (Lemes, Kussumi, & Rocha, 2004Lemes, V., Kussumi, T., & Rocha, S. (2004). Monitoramento de resíduos de agrotóxicos em leite consumido pela população do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, 2000 e 2002. Revista Instituto Adolfo Lutz, 63, 24-30., Luzardo et al., 2012Luzardo, O. P., Almeida-González, M., Henríquez-Hernández, L. A., Zumbado, M., Álvarez-León, E. E, & Boada, L. D. (2012). Polychlorobiphenyls and organochlorine pesticides inconventional and organic brands of milk: occurrence and dietary intake in the population of the Canary Islands (Spain). Chemosphere , 88(3), 307-315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.03.002
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
; Avancini, Silva, Rosa, Sarcinelli, & Mesquita, 2013Avancini, R. M., Silva, I. S., Rosa, A. C. S., Sarcinelli, P. N., & Mesquita, S. A. (2013). Organochlorine compounds in bovine milk from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil. Chemosphere, 90(9), 2408-2413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.069
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
, Rêgo et al., 2019Rêgo, I. C. V., Santos, G. N. V., Ribeiro, J. S., Lopes, R. B., Santos, S. B., Sousa, A., & Taube, P. S. (2019). Organochlorine pesticides residues in commercial milk: a systematic review. Acta Agronomica, 68(2), 25-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v68n2.77925
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15446...
).The main objective of this study was to determine the contamination level of OCPs and their metabolite residues, as well as the fatty acid content in fresh cow's milk from Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Pará, via solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection(GC-ECD).

Material and methods

All the solvents used were of HPLC grade, and other reagents, viz. acetone, acetonitrile, n-hexane, methanol, and ethyl acetate (J.T. Baker, Aparecida de Goiânia, Brazil), Milli-Q® water, Extran® MA Neutral 1% (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), were of high purity.

Sample description

Thirty samples of fresh commercial bovine milk were collected, 15 from Mojuí dos Campos (02º10'17”S and 56º44'42”W) and 15 from Belterra (02º38'11”S and 54º56'14”W), Brazil (Figure 1), between September and November 2017. It is noteworthy that the dairy herds were relatively small (no more than 20 animals), and these farms were in the vicinity of crop production areas that mainly practiced monoculture (soy and corn).

Figure 1
Beef milk collection sites in the municipalities of Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Pará, Brazil.

Extraction

The samples were thawed in a water bath at 37°C for 20 min., and 1 mL aliquots were placed in graduated tubes. Subsequently, 10 mL of 2:4:4 (v/v) ethyl acetate/methanol/acetone solution was added to each sample. The resulting mixture was homogenized for 1 min in a vortex (Maximix II, Thermo lyne Type 37600, São Paulo, Brazil) and then subjected to ultrasound (Branson® 5210, Chicago, USA) for 20 min. The mixture was then centrifuged (Excelsa Baby II centrifuge, Model 206-R; Nova tecnica, Piracicaba, Brazil) for 15 min. at 2000 rpm. To the supernatant, 10 mL of ultrapure water was added, and the mixture was then passed through a preconditioned (2×1 mL each of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and ultrapure water) SPE-PACK® C18 column (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, USA). The mixture was passed through the column at a flow rate of approximately 6 mL min-1. Finally, the column was washed twice with 1 mL of an aqueous solution of 25% acetonitrile, after which the column was vacuum-dried, and the OCPs were eluted with 2 mL of n-hexane.

The elute from the C18 column was separated into two 1-mL aliquots; one aliquot was used to determine the lipid content of the sample, and the other was passed through a Florisil® column preconditioned with 10 mL each of dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and 15% acetone/ethyl acetate solution. The pesticides were then eluted with 10 mL n-hexane and 5 mL acetone solution in 15% ethyl acetate. The total eluted volume was reduced to 1 mL using a low-pressure rotary evaporator (Rotavapor R144, Büchi Switzerland; Integrator HP 7673A). Subsequently, 100 μL of the internal standard, DCN (1,2-dichloronaphthalene), was added at a concentration of 108 ng mL-1.

Determination of lipid content

Since organochlorine compounds are lipophilic, they may be concentrated in the lipid fraction, making it important to determine the fat content of the milk samples. Fatty content analysis was performed during the final phase of the sample extraction. After the pesticides retained in the column were eluted with 2 mL n-hexane, 1 mL of the eluate was dried in a rotary evaporator under low pressure (Rotavapor R144, Büchi, Switzerland; Integrator HP 7673A) to determine the lipid content. All analyses were repeated in triplicates.

Conditions for chromatographic analysis

For quantitative analysis, a GC-ECD (Varian CP-3800; USA) with Workstation 5.0 (software for chromatographic data proce5ssing) was used, with a fused silica capillary column of 30 mm length, 0.32 mm ID, and 0.25 µm film thickness (OV-5, Ohio Valley Specialty Chemical, OHIO, USA). The temperature ramp from the oven to the column was programmed as follows: 150°C for 1 min. and 150 to 250°C (6°C min.-1) for 5 min. The carrier gas was N2 (99.999% pure) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min.-1. The injector was operated at 250°C in the split less mode. The detector temperature was 300°C. The qualitative analysis for the confirmation of the identified analytes was performed using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS; TSQ 8000 Thermo Scientific MS 3000; USA) with a triple-quadrupole mass analyzer operating in full-scan mode, equipped with Workstation software for processing the chromatographic data, using a fused silica capillary column (DB 05) of 30 mm length, 0.32 mm ID, and 0.25 µm film thickness. The temperature ramp from the oven to the column was programmed as 80°C for 3 min. and 80 to 280°C (10°C min.-1) for 3.5 min. The carrier gas was helium (99.999% pure) set at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min.-1. The injector was operated at 250°C in the splitless mode. The temperature of the quadrupole and interface was 260°C, and that of the ion source was 275°C.

Validation of analytical quality

To identify the analytes by GC-ECD, a standard solution containing all analytes was injected, and their respective retention times were determined. For quantification, an external calibration curve was constructed, and quantification was based on the integrated areas of each analytical signal (chromatographic peaks). Calibration curves were constructed to quantify each substance, with the injection of diluted solutions (2-100 ng mL-1) of the analyte mixture. A Pearson's correlation index of 99% (r=0.99) was set to fit the calibration curve. Selectivity was analyzed according to the analytical signal resolution, which is related to the retention times (RTs) of the compounds. The existing resolution between various compounds was evaluated by analyzing the peak areas. The RTs were obtained from the largest peak areas present in the chromatograms of the replicates of the standard pesticide solutions. Only tenanalytes were separated without coelution (Table 1). By this method, the OCPs that could be separated despite the proximity of the RTs were α-HCH (7.7 min.), β-HCH (8.5 min.), γ-HCH (Lindane) (8.7 min.), δ-HCH (9.6 min.), op’-DDE (13,7 min.), endosulfan α (14.0 min.), pp'-DDE (14.7 min.), op'-DDD (14.9 min.), endosulfan β (15.9 min.), and pp'-DDD (16.0 min.). Endosulfan sulfate and op'-DDT coeluted at 17.0 minutes each (Figure 2). The percentage recovery was calculated by processing a sample of bovine milk with 20 ng of each OCP.

Table 1
Retention times (R) of the studied pesticides.

Figure 2
Chromatogram of the bovine milk sample fortified with the 12 organochlorine pesticide standards evaluated.

Results and discussion

The average fat content (%, m/m) in the milk samples collected from Belterra and Mojuí dos Campos were 2.23 and 2.27%, respectively. Both samples showed significant variations in the fat content, ranging from 0.20 to 8.20% in the samples from Mojuí dos Campos and from 0.46 to 4.91% in the samples from Belterra ((Table 2). The fat content of fresh bovine milk typically varies from 3.5 to 6.0% (Fangmeier, Helfenstein, & Oliveira, 2015Fangmeier, M., Helfenstein, B., & Oliveira, E. C. (2015). Avaliação do teor de gordura de leite in natura por meio do método do butirômetro e do método infravermelho. Revista Destaques Acadêmicos, 7(4), 202-210). The differences in the lipid content within each group may be due to the varying milk composition, which is affected by lactation periods, feed, management, etc. The fat content of milk is associated with several factors, including food, climate, and the variety of cattle. Durr (2004Durr, J. W. (2004). Programa Nacional de Melhoria da Qualidade do leite: uma oportunidade única. In J. W. Durr, M. P. Carvalho, M. V. Santos (Eds.), O compromisso com a qualidade do leite no Brasil (p. 38-55). Passo Fundo, RS: UFP Editora.) reported that the presence of trans-fatty acids in the diet or produced in the cow’s rumen dramatically decreases the fat content of milk. This decrease occurs when there is a reduction in the ruminal pH. It is noteworthy that the water (pH 4.4-5.6) and soil (pH 4.9-5.2) in the region of Belterra and Mojuí are acidic (Aguiar, Peleja, & Sousa, 2014Aguiar, C. P. O., Peleja, J. R. P., & Sousa, K. N. S. (2014). Qualidade da água em microbacias hidrográficas com agricultura nos municípios de Santarém e Belterra, Pará. Revista Árvore, 38(6), 983-992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-67622014000600003
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/...
; Silva, Silva, Veloso, Dantas, & Sacramento, 2018Silva, J. C. N., Silva, A. R., Veloso, C. A. C., Dantas, E. F., & Sacramento, J. A. A. S. (2018). Aggregation, carbon and total soil nitrogen in crop-livestock-forest integration in the Eastern Amazon. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, 22(12), 837-842. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v22n12p837-842
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/...
; Sacramento et al., 2019Sacramento, J. A. A. S., Gomes, P. H. S., Veloso, C. A. C., Silva, A. R., Dantas, E. F., & Fajardo, J. D. V. (2019). Effect of agricultural correctives in the stocks of carbon and nitrogen of oxisol in the Brazilian amazon. Acta Agronomica , 68(4), 265-270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v68n4.78564
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15446...
).

The limits of quantification associated with this method for the evaluated OCPs varied from0.03 to 0.05 ng g-1 (Table 3). The study of linearity involves constructing calibration curves for varying standard concentrations as per the concentration range determined for each pesticide. The calibration curve allows parameters, such as the correlation coefficient (r), to be obtained (Paschoal et al., 2008; Barbosa, 2012). Accordingly, linearity was assessed using the internal calibration curve method in the range from 2 to 100 ng mL-1 of the standard solution containing all the analytes under study. The Pearson correlation index for accepting the calibration curve was 99% (r = 0.99), implying that the internal calibration curve showed analyte signals proportional to the signal areas. The accuracy of the chromatographic method was evaluated by analyzing the analyte recovery and matrix effects. This method is used to assesses the extraction yield, i.e. the mass fraction of the analyte in the sample present in the final extract. For the analysis of organic compounds, the accuracy was measured using recovery tests.

Table 2
Lipids content in the evaluated samples (%, m m-1).
Table 3
Detection and quantification limits of the evaluated organochlorine pesticides (ng g-1) in the municipalities of Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Pará, Brazil.

The recovery of analytes is defined by the analysis of samples fortified with known quantities, but the parameter generally depends on the concentration; therefore, it must be evaluated within the range of concentrations expected for the sample (Kurz, 2007; Leite, 2011). The recoveries obtained for all the OCPs ranged from48 to 91% (Table 4). Complex matrix recoveries of around 70-130% are expected, implying that some samples showed lower than desirable recovery values, possibly due to losses during the sample preparation. Unfortunately, the recovery of six non-polar analytes could not be evaluated, perhapsdue to the polarity of the solvent (methanol) used during the elution stage of the SPE. Owing to the low polarity of these compounds, the solvent may not have enough strength (polarity) to elute them from the C18octadecyl silica SPE Pack® column cartridge, thus retaining them in the cartridge (Halimah et al., 2008).

Table 4
Recovery (%) of the pesticides studied in the municipalities of Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra, Pará, Brazil.

None of the samples analyzed showed any contamination by the OCPs within the limits of detection and quantification of the method. This study contributes to the knowledge regarding the quality of fresh bovine milk from the municipalities of Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra. The results of this work were compared with other similar studies carried out in different places across the world where DDT and other OCPs were widely used. Most samples from such locations showed contamination by OCPs (Table 5).

Table 5
Works related to the evaluation of the content of organochlorine pesticides in bovine milk in different regions of the world.

The results of this study are similar to that from the São Paulo State (Lemes et al., 2004Lemes, V., Kussumi, T., & Rocha, S. (2004). Monitoramento de resíduos de agrotóxicos em leite consumido pela população do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, 2000 e 2002. Revista Instituto Adolfo Lutz, 63, 24-30.); however, it differs from those conducted at Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso do Sul by Heck et al. (2007Heck, M. C., Santos, S., Bogusz Junior, S., Costabeber, L., & Emanuelli, T. (2007). Estimation of children exposure to organochlorine compounds through milk in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Food Chemistry, 102, 288-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.05.019
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) and Avancini et al. (2013Avancini, R. M., Silva, I. S., Rosa, A. C. S., Sarcinelli, P. N., & Mesquita, S. A. (2013). Organochlorine compounds in bovine milk from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil. Chemosphere, 90(9), 2408-2413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.069
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
), respectively. Further, the results of this work is also unlike those reported by John et al. (2000John, P. J., Bakore, N., & Bhatnagar, P. (2001). Assessment of organochlorine pesticide residue levels in dairy milk and buffalo milk from Jaipur City, Rajasthan, India. Environment International, 26(4), 231-236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120(00)00111-2
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) in India, Zhong (2003Zhong, W., Xu, D., Chai, Z., & Mao, X. (2003). Survey of organochlorine pesticides in retail milk from Beijing, P. R. China. Food Additives and Contaminants, 20(3), 254-258. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0265203021000055405
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/...
) in China, Darko et al. (2008Darko, G., Akoto, O., & Oppong, C. (2008). Persistent organochlorinepesticideresidues in fish, sediments and water from Lake Bosomtwi, Ghana. Chemosphere , 72, 21-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.02.052
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) in Ghana, Hernández, Vidal, and Marrugo (2010Hernández, M., Vidal, J. V., & Marrugo, J. L. (2010). Organochlorine pesticides in cows' milk supplemented with cotton waste in San Pedro, Colombia. Revista de Salud Pública, 12(6), 982-989.) in Colombia, Kampire et al. (2011Kampire, E., Kiremire, B. T., Nianzi, S. A., & Kishimba, M. 2011. Organochlorine pesticide in fresh and pasteurized cow’s milkfrom Kampala markets. Chemosphere , 84(7), 923-927. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.06.011
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) in Kampala, Gutiérrez, et al. (2012Gutiérrez, R., Ruíz, J. L., Ortiz, R., Veja, S., Schettino, B., Yamazaki, A., & Ramírez, M. L. (2012). Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Bovine Milk from Organic Farms in Chiapas, Mexico.Bulletin Environmental Contamination and Toxicolgy, 89, 882-887. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0764-y
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/...
) in Mexico and Luzardo et al. (2012Luzardo, O. P., Almeida-González, M., Henríquez-Hernández, L. A., Zumbado, M., Álvarez-León, E. E, & Boada, L. D. (2012). Polychlorobiphenyls and organochlorine pesticides inconventional and organic brands of milk: occurrence and dietary intake in the population of the Canary Islands (Spain). Chemosphere , 88(3), 307-315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.03.002
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) in Spain. Lemes et al. (2004Lemes, V., Kussumi, T., & Rocha, S. (2004). Monitoramento de resíduos de agrotóxicos em leite consumido pela população do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, 2000 e 2002. Revista Instituto Adolfo Lutz, 63, 24-30.) did not detect any OCPs or any of their metabolites in 73 samples of commercial bovine milk in the state of São Paulo. Avancini et al. (2013Avancini, R. M., Silva, I. S., Rosa, A. C. S., Sarcinelli, P. N., & Mesquita, S. A. (2013). Organochlorine compounds in bovine milk from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil. Chemosphere, 90(9), 2408-2413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.069
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) evaluated organochlorine compounds in bovine milk in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, and of the total samples analyzed, more than 90% were contaminated with at least one OCP residue. In Rio Grande do Sul, Heck et al. (2007Heck, M. C., Santos, S., Bogusz Junior, S., Costabeber, L., & Emanuelli, T. (2007). Estimation of children exposure to organochlorine compounds through milk in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Food Chemistry, 102, 288-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.05.019
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/...
) analyzed samples of fresh pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized (or ultra-high-temperature pasteurized) milk. In all theanalyzed samples, α-HCH, lindane, aldrin, HCB, pp'-DDE, op'-DDD, pp'-DDD, and op'-DDT), and PCB (congeners 10, 28, 52, 138, and 180) were found.

Conclusion

None of the bovine milk samples analyzed in this study showed any contamination by OCPs. This may be due to the absence of pesticide residues in the feed consumed by the cattle. Although the results obtained indicate no OCP contamination in bovine milk, more studies are required for a more comprehensive understanding of the OCP contamination in the studied region. It is important to highlight the relevance of milk-monitoring studies in assessing the presence of pesticide residues in foodstuff.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Project 88881.159143/2017-01 funded by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the Amazonia Foundation for Studies and Research in Pará (FAPESPA). The authors also thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions. We also would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    09 Oct 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    30 Nov 2021
  • Accepted
    31 Mar 2022
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