Dissipation and Distribution of Prochloraz in Bananas and a Risk Assessment of Its Dietary Intake

Background: As a systematic fungicide, prochloraz is often used to control banana freckle disease, and it is significant to assess the safety and risk of prochloraz. Methods: The dissipation kinetics and distribution of prochloraz in bananas were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: The results showed that the fortified recoveries in bananas were 83.01-99.12%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 2.45-7.84%. The half-life of prochloraz in banana peel (3.93-5.60 d) was significantly lower than it was in whole banana (8.25-10.80 d) and banana pulp (10.35-12.84 d). The terminal residue of prochloraz in banana fruits was below the maximum residue level (MRL, China) at pre-harvest intervals (PHI) of 21 d. Moreover, the residue of prochloraz in banana peel was always 1.06-7.71 times greater than it was in banana pulp. The dietary risk assessment results indicated that the prochloraz residue in bananas at PHI of 21 d was safe for representative populations. (4) Conclusions: We found that a 26.7% prochloraz emulsion oil in water (EW) diluted 1000-fold and sprayed three times under field conditions was safe and reliable, providing a reference for the safe application of prochloraz in bananas.