This study aimed to investigate the concentration of 33 pesticide residues in 60 black tea samples collected from Iran, determine their transfer rate, and assess their health risk during brewing. Pesticide extraction and analysis were performed by using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method and gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantification (LOQ) of pesticides were ranged 0.1-7.26 and 0.8-24 μg/kg for dried tea leaves and 0.03-3.1 and 0.09-10 μg/L for the tea infusion, respectively. The levels of pesticide residue in 52 (86.67%) out of 60 tea samples were above the LOD (0.1-7.26 μg/kg). Twenty four (40%) of the samples contained pesticides in a concentration higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL) set by the European Commission (EC). Seven out of 33 validated pesticides were detected in dried tea leaf samples that only four of seven, including buprofezin, chlorpyrifos, hexaconazole, and triflumizole, were transferred into tea infusion, demonstrating that the concentrations of pesticides in infusion were raised during brewing. The risk assessment study for detected pesticides in the tea infusion samples indicated that this beverage consumption was safe for consumers, while the mean residue of some pesticides in positive samples was higher than the MRL; therefore, periodic control of these pesticides should be regularly implemented.
Keywords: Black tea; Food contaminants; Pesticide residues; Risk assessment.