Abstract:
Wheat cultivation accounts for 18.23% and 19.80% in terms of area coverage and
production respectively as compared to the total cultivated area and production of cereals
in Ethiopia. The world pre-harvest losses of crops are caused by insects (15%), pathogens
(13%) and weeds (14%). Fusarium head blight (FHB) and other fungal diseases are the
major threat to global wheat production and in Ethiopia as well. Epoxiconazole in
combination with thiophanate methyl (trade name Rex®Duo) provides high protection
against FHB and other fungal diseases are extensively used by wheat producing Ethiopian
farmers. The aim of this experimental research is to investigate the epoxiconazole residue
level and effect of local food processing on its level in wheat samples collected from local
farms in East Arsi zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, at two different harvesting
seasons. The harvest of one season was analyzed for epoxiconazole residue level after
storage of 1 year. The other (newly harvest) was analyzed just after five months of harvest.
The sample preparation was conducted according to 2007.01_QuEChERS extraction method.
Washing was performed as per expected local cereal washing method. The cooking was
made to bread in oven. The analysis was carried out using liquid chromatography tandem
double mass spectrometry. The finding of the study revealed that the epoxiconazole residue
level in newly harvest and 1 year stored wheat samples were 0.0035mg/kg and
0.00753mg/kg respectively. On the other hand, investigation of the effect of washing and
cooking on epoxiconazole residue level revealed that washing reduces the epoxiconazole
residue level by 55.5% while cooking reduces only by 21.8%
