Development of an organophosphate and carbamate pesticide test kit by using a magnetic particle coated with Esterase enzyme from honey bee heads

Abstract

Organophosphates (OPs) and carbamates (CMs) represent pivotal pesticide classes extensively employed in Thai agriculture, public health, and pest control. In Thailand, the reliance on these pesticides to manage pests, including insects, weeds, and fungi, is substantial. These compounds exert their effects by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, a critical enzyme for acetylcholine breakdown. However, the conventional analytical methods for detecting OPs and CMs are often cost-prohibitive, demanding specialized equipment and skilled analysts. This underscores the urgent necessity for cost-effective, rapid, and user-friendly detection techniques. In response to this imperative, our study presents an innovative method for OPs and CMs detection in Thailand. This method leverages magnetic particles coated with esterase enzyme extracted from honey bee heads, combined with a colorimetric approach. The achieved limits of detection (LODs) for OPs, notably Dichlorvos, and CMs, such as Fenobucarb, were impressively low at 0.002 mg/L. Comparative analyses with preceding studies demonstrated the superior LODs of our developed method. Furthermore, when benchmarked against Gas Chromatography with Flame Photometric Detection (GC-FPD), our method exhibited comparable efficacy in detecting OPs and CMs residues in fruits and vegetables.