Effects of electrolyzed water treatment on pesticide removal and texture quality in fresh-cut cabbage, broccoli, and color pepper

• Electrolyzed water effectively decreased organophosphates, pyrethroids, and fungicides. • Pesticide removal varies mainly with the matrix surfaces. • Electrolyzed water significantly decreased pesticides from the three fresh-cut vegetables. • Combination of electrolysed water with shaking was effective for pesticide removal. • No significant deterioration in texture was detected in samples treated with electrolyzed water. The effects of alkaline and acidic electrolyzed water (AlEW, AcEW) treatment on the removal of pesticides (phorate, chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, procymidone, and chlorothalonil) and texture quality of fresh-cut cabbage, broccoli, and color pepper were investigated. AlEW efficiently removed pesticides from color pepper, whereas AcEW was the optimal treatment for pesticide removal from cabbage and broccoli. AcEW resulted in greater losses of pyrethroid and organophosphates than fungicides, while AlEW was superior for removing fungicides. The best pesticide removal from cabbage (72.28%–91.04%) was achieved by continuous oscillation treatment, while intermittent oscillation for 20 min achieved optimal results for broccoli and color pepper (72.28%–90.11% and 72.24%–88.12%, respectively). No significant deterioration in texture was detected in samples treated with electrolyzed water for 5–25 min. The results suggest that electrolyzed water treatment is effective for removing organophosphate, pyrethroid, and fungicide residues from fresh-cut vegetables while not negatively affecting their texture quality.