Pesticide residues in agricultural end-products and risk assessment for consumers in North China.

This study investigated pesticide residues in market-sold vegetables and fruits in Hebei Province, China, over 5 years (2018-2022). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was applied to gas chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). The analytical methods were validated with respect to matrix effect (ME), recovery rate (78.9~105.5%), limit of quantitation (LOQ, 2.93~9.73 µg/kg), and linear correlation coefficient (0.9982~0.9997). Residues of 10 pesticides in 12 categories of vegetable and fruit were detected. 31.9% of the samples were detected pesticide residues; 15.5% of samples were detected multi-component pesticide residues. Twenty-seven positive detections of pesticide residues exceeded the corresponding maximum residue limit (MRL), accounting for 2.33%. The most types of pesticide residues were detected in cherry, with the number of 7. Procymidone was the most detected pesticide, and it was detected in 8 categories of samples. The hazard index (HI) of omethoate was the highest and the procymidone was the lowest. The HI of all the vegetables and fruits were less than 100%. The effects of pesticide residues are within an acceptable range for human. Adequate attention and further monitoring are still needed.

Monitoring of Aluminum content in food and assessment of dietary exposure of residents in North China.

Although the Chinese diet has become very abundant in the past 30 years, few people know that traditional Chinese diet is exposed to aluminium (Al). A total of 1232 samples were purchased during 2017-2019 and analysed for Al content with an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. High Al levels were found in deep-fried dough sticks (mean 219 mg/kg), starch products (mean 84.5 mg/kg), and steam bread (mean 28.6 mg/kg). The average dietary Al exposure of residents in North China was 1.82 mg/kg bw/week, lower than the PTWI (provisional tolerable weekly intake). Deep-fried dough sticks (DFDS) are the main Al contributor in North China, providing 28.2% of the daily intake. The P95 dietary exposure to Al from DFDS was 2.3 mg/kg bw/week, exceeding the PTWI. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the health risk of exposure to Al from DFDS and starch products. Over-use of Al associated with food additives should be effectively controlled.