Simulation modeling the effects of peels on pesticide removal from potatoes during household food processing

Reduction in the Residues of Penthiopyrad in Processed Edible Vegetables by Various Soaking Treatments and Health Hazard Evaluation in China

Tomato and cucumber are two vital edible vegetables that usually appear in people's daily diet. Penthiopyrad is a new type of amide chiral fungicide, which is often used for disease control of vegetables (including tomato and cucumber) due to its wide bactericidal spectrum, low toxicity, good penetration, and strong internal absorption. Extensive application of penthiopyrad may have caused potential pollution in the ecosystem. Different processing methods can remove pesticide residues from vegetables and protect human health. In this study, the penthiopyrad removal efficiency of soaking and peeling from tomatoes and cucumbers was evaluated under different conditions. Among different soaking methods, heated water soaking and water soaking with additives (NaCl, acetic acid, and surfactant) presented a more effective reduction ability than other treatments. Due to the specific physicochemical properties of tomatoes and cucumbers, the ultrasound enhances the removal rate of soaking for tomato samples and inhibits it for cucumber samples. Peeling can remove approximately 90% of penthiopyrad from contaminated tomato and cucumber samples. Enantioselectivity was found only during tomato sauce storage, which may be related to the complex microbial community. Health risk assessment data suggests that tomatoes and cucumbers are safer for consumers after soaking and peeling. The results may provide consumers with some useful information to choose better household processing methods to remove penthiopyrad residues from tomatoes, cucumbers, and other edible vegetables.

A mechanism-based fate model of pesticide solutions on the plant surface under aerial application

Pesticide residues on plant surfaces are a primary source of pesticide bioaccumulation in crops. In this context, we propose a mechanism-based model for understanding the pesticide fate on the plant surface following aerial application, taking into account fate modelling of the pesticide spray solution on the plant surface. Using chlorothalonil as an example, the simulation results revealed that the spray solution dissipated rapidly after aerial application, resulting in the formation of a saturated pesticide solution, which facilitated the diffusion process of the pesticide residue from the plant surface into the peel tissue. The proposed model generated higher simulated residue concentrations in the peel or pulp than the current model, owing to the proposed model's assumption of rapid dissipation of the spray solution. This indicated that the proposed model specified the influence of the spray solution on the plant's exposure to residues via the surface deposition pathway, whereas the current modelling approach presented a generic estimate of the residue dissipation on the plant surface that linked to the residue's fate in the soil.