A Pune scientist has brought an everyday kitchen worry back into the spotlight: how much pesticide residue remains on fruit and vegetables after a quick rinse? Asmita Prabhune, a scientist associated with CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, has developed Sophab, a concentrated produce wash promoted as removing up to 99% of pesticides, pathogens and other surface contaminants. The product has emerged from Pune’s science-startup network and is already being sold for household use.
The claim is eye-catching, but the formula is more interesting than the headline. Sophab uses a group of surfactants and biosurfactants designed to loosen oily residues, wax, dirt and microbes that may cling to produce. Its patent documents also give a clearer picture of what was tested, how the wash is diluted and why the final removal rate may differ between fruits, vegetables and pesticide types.
Who Is Behind The Pune Fruit Wash?
Prabhune founded Green Pyramid Biotech after working on food hygiene and nature-friendly cleaning products. The company is incubated at Pune’s Venture Center and is described as a spin-off linked to CSIR-NCL, with backing through the Department of Science and Technology’s seed-support system. Sophab is its main fruit and vegetable wash.
According to The Indian Express report on the Pune innovation, users dilute the concentrate in water, soak produce for around two to three minutes and rub it gently before use. The company is also preparing portable fruit-cleaning wipes, while separate products are being developed for meat, fish and chicken hygiene.
How Does Sophab Remove Pesticide Residue?
The patented formulation combines non-ionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and glycolipid biosurfactants. In plain terms, these ingredients help water spread across the produce surface, loosen greasy or waxy deposits and carry detached particles into the wash water.
The published fruit-wash patent lists alkyl polyglucosides, cocamidopropyl betaine and glycolipids such as sophorolipids among the core components. Sophorolipids are biosurfactants produced through microbial processes. They can interact with both water and oily material, which helps lift residues that plain water may leave behind.
The basic cleaning process works like this:
- Dilute the concentrated wash in clean water according to the label.
- Place fruits or vegetables in the solution for the stated time.
- Rub firm or smooth produce gently to release attached residue.
- Remove the produce and follow the product’s rinsing directions.
- Discard the used water rather than treating it as automatically safe.
Patent testing used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to check residue levels after treatment. The documents report about 90.17% removal of combined pesticide and insecticide residues at a minimum 1% concentration in tested samples. They also report 81.20% biodegradation after 28 days under an OECD test method. Those figures are useful, although they do not prove identical results for every crop or chemical.
Does the 99% Claim Apply To Every Fruit?
Not necessarily. The 99% figure is a product claim covering pesticides, pathogens, and chemical residues together. The patent data publicly available online reports more than 90% pesticide and insecticide removal under specified test conditions. Removal can change with the pesticide used, the fruit skin, residue age, concentration, soaking period, and rubbing.
This is why buyers should read “up to 99%” as a best-case claim, not a promise that every apple, grape or tomato will become residue-free. Systemic pesticides may move below the skin, where no surface wash can easily reach them.
India’s 2024 Dietary Guidelines still advise thoroughly washing produce under running water and peeling where suitable to reduce exposure. A produce wash may add another cleaning step, but it should not replace safe handling, clean storage or careful sourcing.
The Pune development also arrives during wider interest in safer produce cleaning. In April 2026, University of British Columbia researchers reported a biodegradable starch, iron and tannic-acid wash that removed more than 86% of surface residues in tests and slowed spoilage. That separate project shows how food scientists are trying to solve two problems together: residue reduction and longer freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed the new fruit wash in Pune?
Asmita Prabhune developed Sophab through Green Pyramid Biotech, linked with Pune’s CSIR-NCL ecosystem and incubator.
Does Sophab remove exactly 99% of every pesticide?
No, results can vary by pesticide type, produce surface, dilution, soaking time, and conditions used.
How long should fruits stay in the solution?
The reported household method uses two to three minutes, followed by gentle rubbing before removal.
What ingredients help the wash clean produce?
Its patent lists plant-derived surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, and glycolipid biosurfactants that loosen waxy surface residues.
Can washing remove pesticides that entered the fruit?
Surface washing cannot reliably remove systemic pesticides already absorbed beneath the skin or inside tissue.
