Fruits and Vegetables are treated/ sprayed with pesticides to deter pests and other harmful organisms from destroying the crops. The possibility of residues from these pesticides remaining on the surface is very high which can seldom be removed by an ordinary water wash. This can compound in to serious health problems in humans consuming such food.
Using Potassium permanganate/ Sodium permanganate solution to clean residue-laden fruits and vegetables is an effective remedy to this problem. Dilute Permanganate solutions will degrade chlorinated solvents, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolics, organo-pesticides and substituted aromatics. Thus washing fruits and vegetables in Permanganate removed more pesticide residue than washing in water alone.
