In this study, the residue levels of chiral pesticide hexaconazole during kiwifruit juice processing (peeling, homogenization, and sterilization) were investigated by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the dietary risk during these processes was also assessed. Hexaconazole was applied at dosages of 173.33 and 346.66 mg/L (recommended and double recommended dosage) in kiwifruit. In the peeling process, 87.7% to 89.2% of the residues were decreased after peeling. Levels of hexaconazole residues in homogenization and sterilization processes further increased from 0.49% to 24.3% and from 0.2% to 3.0%, respectively. Processing factors (PFs) for (+)- and (−)-hexaconazole after peeling, homogenization, and sterilization were 0.12, 0.88, 0.99 for low-dose treatment and 0.12, 0.87, 0.99 for high-dose treatment, respectively. The enantioselectivity of hexaconazole during these procedures was evaluated by enantiomeric fractions (EFs) values, which were around 0.5 throughout all the procedures, indicating that hexaconazole enantiomers had similar dissipation behaviors during kiwifruit juice processing. The RQc of hexaconazole in pre-peeling samples was significantly greater than 100% under two dosages, while the peeling process can notably decrease the values to an acceptable level. The results of this study could provide guidance for agriculture applications and kiwi commodity production to decrease the risk of hexaconazole residue.

Due to high geological background and intensive mining activities, soils are prone to heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and ecological fragility in Guizhou Province, China. A total of 740 topsoil samples were therefore collected, and aimed to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb, estimate the ecological pollution, and evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks to humans. Results showed As (1.08%) and Cd (24.46%) in soil exceeded standards. The Igeo showed that Cr (1.49%) and Hg (31.62%) in soil were at light pollution levels; single factor pollution index (PI) showed that Cd (21.35%) in soil was mildly polluted; risk index (RI) as at a low risk level. Notably, both deterministic and Monte Carlo analyses revealed unacceptable carcinogenic risks for As and Cr in children, with traditional methods potentially underestimating As risks. Moreover, Target-Organ Toxicity Dose (TTD) revealed soil HMs as a higher risk to hematological health, with notable health risks posed by Pb in children. It is noted that spatial distribution analysis suggested that the southwestern region of Guizhou Province should be prioritized for health risk management and control. By integrating the uniqueness of geological environments, multi-dimensional health risk assessments, and spatial distributions, the present study provides a scientific basis for assessing HMs pollution risks and soil health risks in the karst regions.

The contamination of Cadmium (Cd) in agro-products causes major concern because of its potential dietary risks. In this study, 647 pepper samples from 21 provinces in China were randomly collected according to the distribution of pepper production. Based on the data of Cd contents in pepper and the bioaccessibility measured by the physiologically-based extraction test (PBET), the contamination levels and health risks of Chinese pepper were accurately evaluated. The results showed that Cd concentration in all pepper ranged from 0.002 to 1.470 mg/kg, with an average of 0.222 mg/kg and a median of 0.132 mg/kg. The highest daily intake of Cd (4.037×10^− 5 mg/kg bw/day) was observed in female child group which accounted for 4% of the maximum daily permissible dose − 0.001mg/kg bw/day. The target hazard quotients of Cd were all lower than 1, indicating low potential non-carcinogenic health risk to residents via the consumption of pepper. Notably, carcinogenic risk values suggested potential adverse health effects to adults, while after considering the bioaccessibility of Cd in pepper (mean of 43.07%), those values had fallen under the acceptable level (1×10^− 4). This may indicate that dietary risk assessment of heavy metals in crops could not be conducted just based on their content, the bioaccessibility of metals is also an important factor for consideration.

Edible mushrooms are widely consumed across the globe. However, the critical lack of reliable detection methods has led to severely limited data on the contamination profiles and dietary exposure risks of Alternaria toxins in edible mushrooms. This study utilized a hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced solid-phase microextraction fiber for the detection of Alternaria toxins in edible mushrooms. The employed VIM/DVB fiber exhibited superior performance with a wide linear range (1–200 μg/kg), low limits of detection (0.01–0.26 μg/kg) and satisfactory recoveries (80.6–111.6%). Applying this method to 63 edible mushrooms (6 species) from Guiyang (Guizhou, China) revealed varying degrees of contamination, with all samples containing at least one of four target toxins (alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, altenuene, tentoxin). Tentoxin (1.86 ± 2.6 μg/kg, 76.2% detection frequency) and alternariol (1.61 ± 1.24 μg/kg, 55.6% detection frequency) were the predominant toxins. Toxin distribution varied by mushroom species. Lentinula edodes was prone to tentoxin contamination, while Pleurotus eryngii was even more susceptible to alternariol-tentoxin co-occurrence. Dietary risk assessment indicated that alternariol posed the highest risks, with 51% samples exceeding the toxicological threshold (2.5 ng/kg bw/day). This study provides a reliable detection tool for Alternaria toxins in edible mushrooms and highlights the signal that continuous attention needs to be paid to Alternaria toxins in edible mushrooms.