Residual behavior of the potential grain fumigant 1‐octen‐3‐ol in wheat during fumigation and ventilation processes

Background Our previous works indicated that 1-octen-3-ol has promising potential as an alternative grain fumigant. However, aside from its insecticidal efficacy, the presence of 1-octen-3-ol residues in grains must be investigated to assess its food safety profile. Results A convenient and sensitive QuEChERS based GC-MS/MS method was developed to detect residues of 1-octen-3-ol in wheat. The sample pretreatment procedures were optimized. The developed method showed good linearity (R2 = 0.9999) and negligible matrix effects. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for 1-octen-3-ol were 0.003 and 0.01 mg kg-1 , respectively. Recoveries at spiked concentration levels of 0.01, 0.5, 10, 100 and 200 mg kg-1 ranged from 90.8% to 112.4%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) ranged from 1.2 to 7.5%. In the fumigation process during wheat storage, there were positive correlations between the accumulation rate and fumigation concentration as well as between the accumulation amounts and fumigation time. In the ventilation process, temperature significantly affected the dissipation dynamics of 1-octen-3-ol in wheat, and the t1/2 values at ventilation temperatures of 30 and 5 °C for 0.1 μL mL-1 were 0.16 and 21.80 days, respectively, representing a 136-fold difference. Conclusion Preservers can regulate the ventilation temperature to achieve different goals, with either a long duration period for long-term storage or rapid dissipation for quick food consumption. This study provides guidance on the reasonable usage of 1-octen-3-ol on wheat and other stored grains. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.