Residues of 14C-ethyl profrenofos in sugar beet plants and the effect of processing according to industrial practice

Sugar beet. one of two principal sugar crops in Egypt. is subjected to infestation with various insect pests. which cause considerable damage to the plants. Profenofos is an important insecticide recommended by ministry of agriculture for controlling pests on sugar beet plants. The residues of this insecticide on and in both the vegetative and root parts were identified using 14C-labelled compound which has been synthesized for this purpose. ()-(2-chlorophenyl) - ()-ethyl-S-propyl phosphorothioate. ()-ethyl-S-propyl phosphorothioate. ()-4-(bromo 2 chlorophenyl) monoethyl phosphate. ())-transformation products. The phenolic compounds were found in the free and conjugated forms. The results shows that the vegetative parts contained high levels of 14C-residues and are not recommended to use animal feed after treatment with this insecticide. On the other hand and depending upon the present investigation. it could be concluded that the root parts could safety be used for extracting sugar. Moreover. processing of beet extract showed that a negligible percent of 14C -residues is present in the sugar crystals