Residue behavior, processing factor and dietary risk assessment of flupyradifurone and its metabolites during tea cultivation to consumption

Abstract

The dissipation behavior and safety assessment of the commercial insecticide Sivanto® (Flupyradifurone 200 g L⁻¹ SL) in tea cultivation have not been previously studied in India. This study evaluated residue levels in fresh tea leaves and processed tea through field trials. Flupyradifurone was applied at two concentrations, 150 g a.i. ha⁻¹ and 300 g a.i. ha⁻¹ , with two applications at a 10-day interval. A modified QuEChERS technique was used for the extraction and purification of flupyradifurone and its three metabolites. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used for detection and quantification. The method was validated for precision, accuracy, and linearity, with a detection limit of 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ and a quantification limit of 0.02 mg kg⁻¹ . The recovery of flupyradifurone and its metabolites ranged from 83.3 % to 113.3 %. The estimated half-life of total residues in tea leaves was 1.6 days. Brew factor was recorded as 0.06 for green tea and 0.03 for black tea. The proposed maximum residue limits (MRLs) were 9.0 mg kg⁻¹ for green tea and 30.0 mg kg⁻¹ for black tea. Based on brew factors, long-term dietary risk assessments indicated no significant health concerns when applied at recommended levels.