Assessing Fluoxapiprolin Residues and Risks in Cucumber and Tomato Crops

Greg Howard
23rd July, 2024

Assessing Fluoxapiprolin Residues and Risks in Cucumber and Tomato Crops

This investigation into the fungicide fluoxapiprolin establishes safe pre-harvest intervals of 5 days for cucumber crop (left) and 14 days for tomato (right), ensuring residues dissipate to levels that pose no significant dietary risk.

Composite: Natural Science News / CC BY. [Sources]
Adapted from photos by:

Key Findings

  • The study by Anand Agricultural University, India, examined how long fluoxapiprolin residues persist in cucumber and tomato crops
  • In cucumber, fluoxapiprolin residues fell below detectable levels by the 5th day after application
  • In tomato, residues dropped to undetectable levels by the 14th day after application
  • The study found that fluoxapiprolin residues do not pose a significant risk to consumers when good agricultural practices are followed
Understanding how pesticides dissipate in food crops is crucial for ensuring food safety and environmental protection. The present study, conducted by Anand Agricultural University, India, focuses on the dissipation behavior and kinetics of fluoxapiprolin and its metabolites in cucumber and tomato under field conditions[1]. This research aims to determine how long residues of this fungicide persist in these crops and assess the associated consumer risk. Fluoxapiprolin is a fungicide used to protect crops from various fungal diseases. However, like all pesticides, it is essential to understand how long its residues remain in the crops and the soil to ensure they do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. The study employed a QuEChERS-based extraction method followed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The method validation parameters met international standards, with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.01 mg kg-1 for all analytes. Significant matrix effects were observed with some metabolites, necessitating the use of matrix-matched standards throughout the study. In cucumber, residues of fluoxapiprolin at the standard dose remained steady from 0 to 3 days after application and fell below the LOQ by the 5th day. In cucumber at a double dose and in tomato at both standard and double doses, the residues followed second-order kinetics, dropping to ≤ LOQ from days 7 and 14 onwards, respectively. Based on these findings, the researchers proposed pre-harvest intervals (PHI) of 5 days for cucumber and 14 days for tomato. Importantly, all metabolites were ≤ LOQ from day 0 in all matrices, indicating minimal persistence. The consumer risk, assessed as Hazard Quotient (HQ), showed that HQ was ≤1 in all cases, suggesting that the residues of fluoxapiprolin do not pose a significant risk to consumers when good agricultural practices are followed. These results align with earlier studies on similar fungicides. For instance, a study on fluopyram in cucumber demonstrated that residues decreased significantly over time and presented a low hazard quotient, supporting the notion that proper application and waiting periods mitigate health risks[2]. Additionally, the findings from this study are consistent with broader research on pesticide dissipation in plants. A systematic review of pesticide dissipation kinetics in various crops highlighted the importance of understanding residue behavior to mitigate human exposure[3]. This comprehensive review emphasized the need for experimental data to reduce uncertainties in risk assessments, which the current study on fluoxapiprolin contributes to significantly. Moreover, the study's findings on the rapid dissipation of fluoxapiprolin residues in cucumber and tomato are in line with similar observations in other crops. For example, research on the dissipation of oxathiapiprolin in tomatoes showed that residues followed first-order kinetics and dissipated quickly, ensuring minimal risk to consumers[4]. This consistency across different studies reinforces the reliability of the current findings. In conclusion, the study by Anand Agricultural University provides valuable insights into the dissipation behavior of fluoxapiprolin in cucumber and tomato. The proposed pre-harvest intervals and the low hazard quotient indicate that the use of fluoxapiprolin, when applied correctly, does not pose significant health or environmental risks. These findings can assist regulatory bodies in establishing maximum residue limits, ensuring food safety and protecting public health.

VegetablesAgricultureHealth

References

Main Study

1) Dissipation and dietary risk assessment of fluoxapiprolin (and its metabolites) residues in cucumber and tomato samples under field conditions.

Published 22nd July, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2024.2380918

Related Studies

2) Behaviour and risk assessment of fluopyram and its metabolite in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit and in soil.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1439-y

3) Variability of pesticide dissipation half-lives in plants.

https://doi.org/10.1021/es303525x

4) Measured and Modeled Residue Dynamics of Famoxadone and Oxathiapiprolin in Tomato Fields.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.8b02056


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