Transfer Behavior of and Dietary Exposure Risk to Difenoconazole in Jasmine Scented Tea

To understand the safety of applying difenoconazole to jasmine, the transfer behavior of difenoconazole from jasmine gardens to tea infusion and the risk of difenoconazole exposure through dietary intake of jasmine scented tea were studied.

Field trials were conducted in accordance with the Guideline for the testing of pesticide residues in crops, and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was used to determine the residue levels of difenoconazole in samples from the planting, scenting, and brewing processes.

The dissipation process of difenoconazole in jasmine flowers followed a first-order kinetic equation, with a half-life of 1.4 days and a dissipation rate of 87% after 5 days. The transfer rate of difenoconazole from jasmine flowers to tea in the scenting process was 5.4%. Difenoconazole was not detected in tea infusion. Combining the above experimental results with the consumption of jasmine scented tea, the chronic and acute risks of difenoconazole exposure via jasmine scented tea infusion were 0.067% and 0.0046%, respectively.

Difenoconazole is safe for application in jasmine gardens. The health risk of difenoconazole via dietary intake of tea scented with jasmine 1–3 days after being treated with a 1000-fold dilution of 10% aqueous dispersion of difenoconazole is acceptable