Pesticides are inevitable agrochemicals employed as plant protection agents and their application follows good agricultural practice (GAP). Although pesticides are primarily used for plant protection purposes, the residual pesticides may pose a threat to the next crops and/or off-target biota. Another important aspect of applied pesticides is the transformation into toxic metabolites. As a result, misuse or overuse of pesticides can lead to raised residual uncertainty, hidden risk of transformed metabolites, and potential risk to off-target biota. As per pesticide safety guidelines, regulations for the maximum limit of residual pesticides, addressing toxic metabolites derived from parent pesticides, and managing the potential risk of pesticides for off-targets are considered vital components. Despite the countable number of studies that have already been published on pesticide fate, residual risk, and metabolism in soils and plants, several vital research gaps remain untouched. In this study, the vital research gap of pesticide fate and transport is explored through vital keyword searches, followed by sorting of relevant articles using scholarly search engines. According to the study outcomes, residual uncertainty, secondary pollution, diversified fate and transport, and toxic metabolites, including their persistence, were detected as key research pitfalls. Thus, this paper critically addresses the current trends and research gaps and suggests specific recommendations for pesticide fate and potential risk studies.

Amaranthus species are widely used as grain and leaf vegetables around the world and are potential dietary sources of antioxidants and phenolic compounds. In this study, we examined the variation in total flavonoid contents, total polyphenol contents, and antioxidant activities among 120 accessions of nine Amaranthus species. The antioxidant activity of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) of the 120 amaranth accessions ranged from 1.1 (A. tricolor) to 75.2 (A. tricolor mg ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/g in 2018, and 8.5 (A. tricolor) to 68.8 (A. dubius) mg AAE/g in 2019. ABTS (2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonate)) antioxidant activity ranged from 16.7 (A. tricolor) to 78.3 (A. hypochondriacus) mg AAE/g in 2018, and 36.6 (A. tricolor) to 79.2 (A. dubius) mg AAE/g in 2019. Total flavonoid content (TFC) of 2018 and 2019 ranged from 21.7 (A. caudatus) to 52.7 (A. hybridus) and from 22.3 (A. viridis) to 54.7 (A. tricolor), respectively Antioxidant activities were compared using two methods and all components were measured in plants grown both in 2018 and 2019. We identified wide variation among the accessions and between plants grown in the two years. Antioxidant activities and phytochemical contents were consistently negatively correlated. The nine species and 120 accessions clustered into three groups according to their antioxidant activities, total flavonoid contents, and total polyphenol contents in each year. These results provide information about the nutritional profiles of different Amaranthus species.

Since the introduction of the positive list system (PLS) for agricultural products in the Republic of Korea, the demand for a quick, easy multi-residue analysis method increased continuously. Herein, the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) technique combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was employed to optimize a method for the multi-residue analysis of 287 pesticide residues in mandarin orange and grapefruit. Method validation was conducted in terms of selectivity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), linearity, accuracy, precision, and matrix effect. All the compounds at low spiking levels (1, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg) could be quantified at LOQs lower than 0.01 mg/kg (PLS level). The linearity of the matrix-matched calibration curve for each compound is in the range 0.5–50 μg/L, and its coefficient of determination (R²) is >0.990. Satisfactory recovery values of 70–120% with a relative standard deviation of ≤20% are obtained for all compounds in the mandarin orange and grapefruit samples. A negligible matrix effect (−20–20%) is observed for more than 94.8% and 85.4% of the pesticides in mandarin orange and grapefruit, respectively. Therefore, this analytical method can contribute to pesticide residue analyses of citrus fruits for routine laboratory testing.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract on free fatty acid (FFA)-induced hepatic insulin resistance. FFA treatment decreased glucose uptake by 16.2% compared with that in the control, whereas taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract increased the glucose uptake. Additionally, taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-IRS1, p-AKT, p-AMPK, and p-ACC in FFA-induced hepatocytes. Furthermore, FFA treatment increased the expression of miR-195. However, compared with the FFA treatment, treatment with taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract decreased miR-195 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract enhanced p-IRS1, p-PI3K, p-AMPK, p-AKT, and p-ACC expression by suppressing miR-195 levels in miR-195 mimic- or inhibitor-transfected cells. These results indicate that taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract attenuate insulin resistance by regulating miR-195 expression, which suggests that taxifolin and sorghum ethanol extract may be useful antidiabetic agents.

Given the unsuitability of the standard quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS)-based method for multiresidue pesticide analysis in mealworm larvae due to their complex composition and high lipid content, we established a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry–based procedure for the detection and quantitation of 247 pesticides in this matrix. The optimized extraction solvent (0.1 % formic acid in acetonitrile) was combined with the original QuEChERS salt packet to achieve high recovery rates, and matrix-derived interferents were effectively removed without analyte loss using primary secondary amine–based dispersive solid-phase extraction (cleanup step). Acceptable linearities, high recoveries, and low detection limits were achieved for most analytes. The detection of triadimenol in 24 field samples suggested that mealworms absorb pesticides from bran, their primary feed source. The developed method is suitable for monitoring pesticide residues in mealworm larvae and similar edible insects, providing a reliable tool for regulatory bodies and relevant industries.

We assessed the residual distribution and temporal trend of picarbutrazox sprayed by agricultural multicopters on Chinese cabbage and considered fortification levels and flying speeds. In plot 2, 14 days after the last spraying, the residues decreased by ~91.3% compared with those in the samples on day 0. The residues in the crops decreased by ~40.8% of the initial concentration owing to growth (dilution effect) and by ~50.6% after excluding the dilution effect. As the flight speed increased, picarbutrazox residues decreased (p < 0.05, least significant deviation [LSD]). At 2 m s⁻¹ flight speed, the residual distribution differed from the dilution rate of the spraying solution. The average range of picarbutrazox residues at all sampling points was 0.007 to 0.486, below the limit of quantitation −0.395, 0.005–0.316, and 0.005–0.289 mg kg⁻¹ in plots 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, showing significant differences (p < 0.05, LSD). These results indicated that the residual distribution of picarbutrazox sprayed by using a multicopter on the Chinese cabbages was not uniform. However, the residues were less than the maximum residue limit in all plots. Accordingly, picarbutrazox was considered to have a low risk to human health if it was sprayed on cabbage according to the recommended spraying conditions.