Innovative Aqueous Washing Agents for the Efficient Removal of Abamectin From Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) Surface

ABSTRACT Pesticides are among the main sources of food contamination and pose severe risks to human health, making their removal from vegetable surfaces essential. This study evaluated different classes of surfactants and choline‐based ionic liquids as alternative washing agents, being compared with traditional agents such as water, salts, and organic acids, for removing abamectin from tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) surfaces. Organic tomatoes were intentionally contaminated by spraying abamectin until reaching concentrations from 26 to 33 mg. L −1 . Various washing agents, including anionic, cationic, and non‐anionic surfactants, as well as choline chloride and choline bitartrate, were employed using processing times ranging from 5 to 30 min. Ionic liquids, salts, and organic acids showed negligible removal capacity, whereas surfactants achieved removal efficiency between 30% and 100%, confirming that micellar solubilization is the main mechanism for abamectin detachment from the tomato surface. Among the evaluated surfactants, the shorter the alkyl chain, the higher the efficiency; furthermore, longer‐chain non‐ionic surfactants performed better. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) exhibited the best performance, achieving 100% abamectin removal at 0.025 M within 10 min. The removal efficiency was influenced by micelle shape and size at concentrations above the critical micellar concentration (CMC). Moreover, the SDS solution maintained full removal capacity for up to six reuse cycles without loss of efficiency. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of tomato surfaces before and after treatment revealed no chemical alterations, confirming that the washing process preserved the integrity of the fruit surface. These results demonstrate a sustainable, efficient approach for pesticide removal from fresh fruits.