Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures for the export of Gherkins

NARAYAN MURIGEPPA GUNADAL; N. M. KERUR; BALACHANDRA K. NAIK; VILAS S. KULKARNI

doi:10.61475/JFS.2025.v38i3.18

NARAYAN MURIGEPPA GUNADAL Department of Agri Business Management, College of Agriculture University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India
N. M. KERUR Department of Agri Business Management, College of Agriculture University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India
BALACHANDRA K. NAIK Department of Agri Business Management, College of Agriculture University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India
VILAS S. KULKARNI Department of Agri Business Management, College of Agriculture University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61475/JFS.2025.v38i3.18

Keywords: Additives, Active Ingredients (AI), Codex Alimentarius, Gherkins, Residue Limits, SPS Measures

Abstract

Gherkins (Cucumis sativus), the small, crunchy cucumbers renowned for their use in pickling and condiments, have emerged as a significant agricultural commodity in India. This study is based on secondary data collected from FAOand analysed using ratio analysis. The results reflect the regulatory standards designed toensuring food safety and consumerprotection by specifying permissible levels for each category of food additive. Maximum levels often align with internationalstandards or Codex Alimentarius guidelines to facilitate trade and ensure consistency in food safety regulations worldwide. Tin (Sn) is a metal that can be present in food due to various processing and packaging methods. The MRL of 250 mg/kg,calculated as Sn, indicates a threshold beyond which tin contamination in food is considered unacceptable. Lead is a toxicheavy metal that can contaminate food through environmental pollution, water, soil and food processing. MRL of lead infood is set at one mg/kg to protect consumers, particularly vulnerable populations such as infants and pregnant women,from the harmful effects of lead exposure. The Codex, set at 72, serves as a baseline for comparison across countries. Deviation from Codex values gives insight into how countries compare to the global average (Codex). For instance, the EUsignificantly surpasses the Codex benchmark with a deviation of 2.81. Conversely, Australia (58) falls below the Codexbenchmark, with a deviation of 0.81, implying fewer AI entities relative to the global average. Using India as a referencepoint (1.00), Canada and the USA have a deviation of 1.04, suggesting a slightly higher number of AI entities compared to India. Malaysia, Brazil and Chile all show deviations close to 0.97, indicating a similar AI presence to that of India. Thegherkins growers need to be educated on the pre-harvest interval of sprays, permissible maximum residue levels, judicioususe of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.