Residue estimation and dietary risk assessment of fenvalerate, novaluron, and profenofos in bell pepper grown under protected and open field conditions

Residue studies were conducted in bell pepper crops (green and yellow bell pepper) to ensure the safe use of fenvalerate, profenofos, and novaluron (under open field and protected conditions) in randomized block design (RBD) following three applications at a 10-day interval over two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. A robust analytical method was developed using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) for the determination of pesticide residues in bell pepper samples. The half-lives for fenvalerate were 2.47–2.87 and 2.50–3.03 days on bell pepper under open field conditions, whereas the corresponding values for bell pepper under protected conditions were 3.84–4.58 and 4.17–4.71 days, during 2021 and 2022, respectively. Profenofos displayed half-lives of 2.03–2.65 and 2.15–2.77 days in open field conditions and 3.05–3.89 and 3.16–3.78 days in protected conditions during 2021 and 2022, respectively. Similarly, novaluron had half-lives of 2.87–3.49 and 3.24–3.75 days under protected conditions in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The maximum residue limits (MRLs) were calculated to be 0.6 mg/kg for fenvalerate, while for profenofos it was 0.7 mg/kg on bell pepper under open field conditions at double doses, at the proposed pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 3 days. Likewise, for bell peppers grown under protected conditions, MRLs at the PHI of 3 days were determined to be 0.8 mg/kg for fenvalerate, 0.3 mg/kg for novaluron, and 1.5 mg/kg for profenofos. A dietary risk assessment study indicated that the percentage of acute hazard index (% aHI) was significantly lower than 100, and hazard quotient (HQ) values were below 1, signifying no acute or chronic risk to consumers. These findings underscore the safety of consuming bell peppers treated with fenvalerate, profenofos, and novaluron under the protected and open field conditions.