The metabolites of pesticides usually require rational risk assessment. In the present study, the metabolites of tolfenpyrad (TFP) in tea plants were identified using UPLC-QToF/MS analysis, and the transfer of TFP and its metabolites from tea bushes to consumption was studied for a comprehensive risk assessment. Four metabolites, PT-CA, PT-OH, OH-T-CA, and CA-T-CA, were identified, and PT-CA and PT-OH were detected along with dissipation of the parent TFP under field conditions. During processing, 3.11–50.00 % of TFP was further eliminated. Both PT-CA and PT-OH presented a downward trend (7.97–57.89 %) during green tea processing but an upward trend (34.48–124.17 %) during black tea manufacturing. The leaching rate (LR) of PT-CA (63.04–101.03 %) from dry tea to infusion was much higher than that of TFP (3.06–6.14 %). As PT-OH was no longer detected in tea infusions after 1 d of TFP application, TFP and PT-CA were taken into account in the comprehensive risk assessment. The risk quotient (RQ) assessment indicated a negligible health risk, but PT-CA posed a greater potential risk than TFP to tea consumers. Therefore, this study provides guidance for rational TFP application and suggests the sum of TFP and PT-CA residues as the maximum residual limit (MRL) in tea.

农药的代谢物通常需要进行合理的风险评估。在本研究中，使用 UPLC-QToF/MS 分析鉴定了茶树中的吡虫啉 (TFP) 代谢物，并研究了 TFP 及其代谢物从茶树到消费的转移以进行综合风险评估。鉴定了四种代谢物，PT-CA、PT-OH、OH-T-CA 和 CA-T-CA，并在田间条件下检测到 PT-CA 和 PT-OH 以及母体 TFP 的消散。在加工过程中，3.11-50.00% 的 TFP 被进一步消除。PT-CA 和 PT-OH 在绿茶加工过程中呈下降趋势 (7.97–57.89 %)，但在红茶加工过程中呈上升趋势 (34.48–124.17 %)。PT-CA（63.04–101.03 %）从干茶到浸剂的浸出率（LR）远高于 TFP（3.06–6.14 %）。由于在 TFP 应用 1 天后茶浸剂中不再检测到 PT-OH，因此在综合风险评估中考虑了 TFP 和 PT-CA。风险商数 (RQ) 评估表明健康风险可忽略不计，但 PT-CA 对茶叶消费者构成的潜在风险比 TFP 更大。因此，本研究为合理应用TFP提供指导，并建议将TFP和PT-CA残留量之和作为茶叶中的最大残留限量（MRL）。