Pesticide Footprints in Fenugreek: Residue Quantification in Market-Sourced Fresh Green Seeds from the Udaipur-Chittorgarh Belt

As has been true throughout human history, India is the world's biggest producer of fenugreek and its main consumer for both culinary and medicinal uses. The leaves and seeds of fenugreek, a significant leguminous annual herb, are utilized throughout North Africa and India. Fenugreek seeds serve purposes as a flavoring element, as a condiment, and in larger amounts in pan cakes and soups. The current study intends to identify the various pesticidal residues in Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds purchased from several marketplaces in the Udaipur-Chittorgarh belt since pesticides offer serious health risks and envisage the possible health repercussions. Results revealed the residues of 13 different pesticides in the fresh green seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum obtained from markets of Dabok, Mangalwar, Kapasan, Mavli and Fatehnagar of Udaipur-Chittorgarh belt. Many of the pesticides found in samples are not approved by the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) indicating an off-label use of pesticides. The health risk assessment indicated that the percentage contribution to the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of pesticides from dietary intake of fenugreek varied between 29.7% and 133% for children and between 12.6% and 74.2% for adults. Although the Health Risk Index (HRI) values were below 1, the analysis showed that children face a higher risk due to the levels of malathion found in the samples. Therefore, the current findings underscore the necessity for careful monitoring of pesticide levels and conducting health risk assessments.