Metconazole breakdown in celery and other crops
What it found
In celery and other vegetables, the fungicide metconazole broke down at different speeds depending on its shape, with half-lives from 0.69 to 8.17 days.
The authors say the dietary risk to people was acceptable.
What they found
Studies in people
Risk to people
The authors calculated that the amount of metconazole people would take in from food was within acceptable limits for both short-term and long-term intake.
Other findings
Breakdown speed
The half-lives of metconazole in soil and the vegetables ranged from 0.69 to 8.17 days. This means it broke down at different speeds depending on the crop and the shape of the chemical.
Celery breakdown
In celery, the shape called cis-(+)-1S,5R-MZE broke down faster than the other shapes. The shape called trans-(+)-1R,5R-MZE also broke down faster in celery.
Shape differences
The different shapes of metconazole broke down at different rates in the plants and soil. This was true for soybean, peanut, cabbage, celery, and tomato.
Which shape is best
The shape cis-(+)-1S,5R-MZE broke down faster and has lower toxicity. The authors suggest it might be suitable to use on its own.
What the authors conclude
“The acute and chronic dietary intake risks of rac -MZE for different groups of people were acceptable.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that the different shapes of metconazole should be considered when assessing its risk in soybean plants, pods, and peanut plants.
- They report that the dietary intake risk of the mixed form of metconazole for different groups of people was acceptable.
- They suggest that the faster-breaking, lower-toxicity shape cis-(+)-1S,5R-MZE might be suitable for use as a single chemical.
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand how the different shapes of metconazole break down in soil and vegetables, and whether that affects the risk assessment.
They studied metconazole in soil and five vegetables: soybean, peanut, cabbage, celery, and tomato. They measured how long it took for each shape of the chemical to break down.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study measured breakdown in plants and soil, not health effects in people.
- It cannot show whether eating these vegetables leads to any long-term health outcome.
- The risk assessment is based on estimated intake, not on actual health tracking.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Northeast Agricultural University, P. R. China; Institute of Agro-product Safety and Nutrition, P. R. China; Agricultural Ministry Key Laboratory for Pesticide Residue Detection, P. R. China
The paper
- Title
- Stereoselective, Diastereoselective Dissipation and Risk Assessment of Chiral Metconazole in Soybean, Peanut, Cabbage, Celery, Tomato, and Soil
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Di W, Wang X, Ge M, et al (2023). Stereoselective, Diastereoselective Dissipation and Risk Assessment of Chiral Metconazole in Soybean, Peanut, Cabbage, Celery, Tomato, and Soil. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.3c06827PubMed 38009539DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error