Efecto genotóxico e identificación de residuos de pesticidas en extracto de tomate Solanum lycopersicum (L.) cultivados en dos municipios de Norte de Santander.

Abstract

Pesticides constitute one of the major environmental pollutants due to their extensive use in agriculture to increase food production and manage pests. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to evaluate the genotoxic effect and identify pesticide residues in extracts of Solanum lycopersicum (L.) from two municipalities in Norte de Santander. Cell viability was used to rule out false positives after exposure to the tomato extract. The comet assay was applied to evaluate genotoxic activity, and gas chromatography ECD was used to detect pesticide residues. The cell viability results were above 90%. The comet assay revealed dose-dependent genotoxic damage in extracts from Ábrego and a heterogeneous pattern in extracts from Playa de Belén; however, it did not exceed low damage levels in all treatments. Chromatography detected signals of pesticides such as delta-hexachlorocyclohexane (delta-HCH), aldrin, endrin, endosulfan II, and methoxychlor. Due to the variability of the cellular response, the need for continuous monitoring is highlighted. Since tomatoes are a frequently consumed product, the possible presence of pesticides could pose a health risk to the population, underscoring the importance of sustainable agricultural practices and effective quality control methods