The effects of milling, washing, and cooking on etofenprox, flubendiamide, and tebufenozide levels in brown and polished rice were investigated by HPLC using a UV detector. The reduction rates of etofenprox, flubendiamide, and tebufenozide after milling were 68.74–93.16%, 64.49–90.25%, and 69.74–92.58%, respectively, 11.64–41.44%, 31.36–65.37%, and 31.61–73.79%, respectively, after washing brown rice, and 30.85–82.08%, 52.13–83.05%, and 43.04–83.89%, respectively, after washing polished rice. The residue levels of the three pesticides in brown rice decreased after electric and pressure cooking by 56.49 and 54.41%, 75.80 and 73.42%, and 70.01 and 71.27%, respectively, and the corresponding levels in polished rice decreased after electric and pressure cooking by 85.58 and 85.82%, 86.70 and 87.06%, and 89.89 and 89.68%, respectively. In conclusion, various processing methods decrease the residual levels of etofenprox, flubendiamide, and tebufenozide in rice.

The aim of this study was to assess the risk of pesticide contamination in aquaculture and its impact on fishery products. We conducted an assessment of 300 samples collected from nine regions in South Korea, including various types of seafood, such as freshwater fish, marine fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. Pesticide residues in seafood were analyzed using GC–MS/MS after sample preparation using a modified QuEChERS method, revealing the presence of eight pesticides (4,4′-DDE, 4,4′-DDT, boscalid, isoprothiolane, oxadiazon, pendimethalin, thifluzamide, and trifluralin) across seven fish species (carp, far eastern catfish, crucian carp, eel, Chinese muddy loach, mirror carp, and sea bass). Following the grouping of DDE with DDT, a risk assessment of fishery products was conducted. After the estimated daily intake (EDI) of fish was calculated and compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI), the health risk index (HI, %ADI) of the detected pesticides was evaluated and found to be 1.07% or lower. The results suggest that the consumption of domestically farmed fish products in South Korea poses minimal health risks associated with pesticide residues.

This study used gas chromatography combined with the microelectron capture detection method to determine the most effective washing and cooking methods for removing isoprothiolane from rice. The initial isoprothiolane concentrations in brown and polished rice, before washing, were 17.03 mg/kg and 1.67 mg/kg, respectively. Residual concentrations declined with more washing cycles (19.3-59.3% for brown rice; 43.1-66.5% for polished rice); and by increasing the temperature of the washing water from 5°C to 40°C (56.6-63.1% for brown rice; 67.1-74.9% for polished rice). Hand-washing samples using gentle stirring or harsh rubbing reduced pesticide concentrations by 63.1-71.6% for brown rice, versus 75.4-87.4% for polished rice. Reduction in isoprothiolane concentrations varied based on the rice cooker type and whether the rice was pre-soaked. Immediate cooking using an electric- or pressure-cooker showed 78.5% and 78.4% reduction in brown rice, compared with 94.0% and 94.0% for polished rice, respectively. Pre-cooking immersion for 30 min showed similar reductions of 83.4% and 83.4% in brown rice, versus 95.8% and 95.8% in polished rice. The results of this study suggest that the most effective method for removing residual isoprothiolane from both brown rice and polished rice was to wash six times (with vigorous rubbing during the 2nd and 3rd washing) in 7-fold water at 40°C, followed by immersion for 30 min before cooking. Regardless of the type of rice cooker, heating is sufficient to remove an average of 83.4% and 95.8% of isoprothiolane from brown rice and polished rice, respectively.

In this study, we developed and validated a multiresidue analytical method for the simultaneous detection of 24 pesticides in fishery products. Using the EN15662 extraction method and C₁₈ as the adsorbent for purification, the validation results complied with Codex guidelines, achieving recovery rates between 70% and 120% and relative standard deviation values (%RSD) within 20%, indicating excellent performance. The limit of detection ranged from 0.25 to 0.8 ng/kg, and the limit of quantification was between 3 and 10 ng/g, providing sufficient sensitivity to comply with future regulatory standards. The calibration curves for all 24 pesticides exhibited great linearity (R² > 0.98), also satisfying the Codex requirements. The matrix effect was less than 30% for some pesticides—within ±20%—indicating minimal interference from impurities. An analysis of 300 fishery samples from nine regions across South Korea detected lufenuron at 10 ng/g in eels; however, the risk assessment was below 0.19%, posing no significant hazard to public health. This newly developed analytical method proved effective for the multi-analysis of pesticide residues in fishery products, offering rapid and reliable monitoring of the import and export safety of fishery products.

Many monitoring studies have been performed to assess and manage the risk of residues in seafood contaminated with pesticides owing to various environmental factors. Although seaweed and shellfish have higher consumption rates than fish, studies on their pesticide residues are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct residue monitoring and a risk assessment of 51 pesticides in shellfish (littleneck clam and oyster) and seaweed (sea mustard, seaweed fusiforme, laver, and sea tangle) cultivated in four administrative regions of the Republic of Korea. A total of 120 samples (20 samples per species) were collected, and pesticide residues were analyzed using a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe extraction method, followed by a GC-MS/MS analysis. The monitoring results show that oxadiazon was detected at 8–9 ng/g in only four littleneck clam samples. The estimated daily intake was calculated and compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for risk assessment. The %ADI values ranged from 0.05% to 1.12% for average and extreme consumers across six different scenarios. The results of this study suggest that the detected residual levels of pesticides exert no harmful effects on people over a lifetime of consumption.