Find in Library

The widespread use of pesticides poses significant risks to food and environmental safety. Imidacloprid is one of the most effective neuroactive neonicotinoid insecticides and is effective against a broad spectrum of piercing–sucking pests. A rapid, efficient, and high-throughput analysis method for the determination of imidacloprid was developed in four minor crops with six matrices (bamboo shoot, winter jujube, fresh and dry <i>D. officinale</i>, and fresh and dry <i>Fritillaria</i>) by solid-phase extraction and HPLC-MS/MS. The procedure showed satisfying recoveries (72~111%) and RSDs (1~13%). A total of 288 samples were tested in China (Aba and Luan). Imidacloprid residues were 100% detected in fresh and dry <i>D. officinale</i> and winter jujube, with concentrations ranging from 0.048 to 1.550 mg·kg⁻¹. Imidacloprid residues were also abundant in fresh and dry <i>Fritillaria</i> (maximal concentration of 0.021 and 0.063 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively), followed by bamboo shoot, which had the lowest detection rate of imidacloprid (6%). Using the risk quotient (RQ) method, the long-term (RQ_c) and short-term (RQ_a) dietary risks of imidacloprid in bamboo shoot, winter jujube, fresh and dry <i>D. officinale</i>, and fresh and dry <i>Fritillaria</i> were further monitored. Based on the imidacloprid residues in this paper, the RQ_c and RQ_a were 15.03% and 0.0008~1.7604%, respectively. The RQ values were far less than 100%, showing that Chinese consumers face little health risk as a result of imidacloprid intake.