Residual behavior and dietary risk assessment of albendazole as fungicide in citrus orchards

Albendazole is a broad-spectrum fungicide that shows great potential in controlling fungal diseases in citrus. To quantify the dissipation behavior, residue distribution, and dietary risk of albendazole in citrus, we developed an UPLC-MS/MS analysis protocol. The average recovery rate of albendazole in whole citrus and citrus pulp ranged from 74 to 105% with an RSD of 3 to 8%, and a limit of quantification of 0.01 mg kg⁻¹. The degradation half-lives were 2.8–3.0 and 5.7–17.0 days in whole citrus and citrus pulp, respectively, and the final residues of albendazole were <0.059 mg kg⁻¹ with a risk quotient of <1. This study not only demonstrates that the dietary risk of albendazole in citrus is negligible, but also provides empirical data to establish the maximum residual limit (MRL) for the safe application of albendazole in citrus orchards to meet the requirements for food safety as well as international trade.