Safety assessment of aloe vera produced in the Canary Islands: contamination by pesticide residues

Although native to the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, aloe vera is significantly cultivated in the Canary Islands, where mild climate and volcanic soils favour its growth. Despite its natural resistance to pest attacks, pesticide contamination can occur due to nearby agricultural practices. In this work, pesticide residue analysis in aloe vera has been carried out for the first time using the QuEChERS extraction method, followed by gas chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Analytical performance was proved by calibration with R² ≥0.9924, recovery in the range 97-114 %, and limits of quantification between 1.744 μg/kg and 2.124 μg/kg. Cadusafos, chlorpyrifos, permethrin, and deltamethrin were found in at least one sample of the 15 aloe vera leaves analysed, all within European legal limits. These results suggested that the evaluated samples of Canary aloe vera can be incorporated into pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, or food products without posing immediate safety risks.