*3.3. Comparison of the Removal Efficiency of Each Pesticide Residue*

The reductions of each pesticide in the five leafy vegetables using the nine methods are shown in Figure 2. Table S1 presents the numerical results. The initial residual values of pesticides found in artificially contaminated samples were 27.96–42.97 mg/kg (azoxystrobin), 2.95–5.74 mg/kg (chlorantraniliprole), 11.54–16.27 mg/kg (chlorfenapyr), 10.95–15.56 mg/kg (diniconazole), 21.64–39.28 mg/kg (fludioxonil), 8.54–16.03 mg/kg (imidacloprid), 8.72–20.76 mg/kg (indoxacarb), 4.88–9.04 mg/kg (lufenuron), 16.65–26.95 mg/kg (pyraclostrobin), and 9.27–17.35 mg/kg (thiamethoxam). As pesticide treatment was not performed in the field, the initial pesticide residues exceeded the MRL in most cases.

The experimental conditions were not identical to those of the crop-growing environment, which served as a limitation. Therefore, it was difficult to treat pesticides according to the growth stage, harvest time, and frequency of use of crops, and these changes could not be reflected in the results. Although we excluded these factors, the pesticides were assumed to be administered at their maximum value. Furthermore, this study sought to identify the cleaning effect of various cleaning methods.

**Figure 2.** Comparison of removal efficiency of each pesticide in five leafy vegetables (n = 5). A: azoxystrobin, B: chlorantraniliprole, C: chlorfenapyr, D: diniconazole, E: fludioxonil, F: imidacloprid, G: indoxacarb, H: lufenuron, I: pyraclostrobin, and J: thiamethoxam.

The average reductions of each pesticide appeared in the following order: azoxystrobin (66.2 ± 7.6%) > chlorantraniliprole (63.3 ± 11.5%) > indoxacarb (61.2 ± 14.1%) > pyraclostrobin (58.1 ± 8.2%) > thiamethoxam (54.0 ± 15.2%), imidacloprid (53.6 ± 13.7%), fludioxonil (53.5 ± 11.0%), and diniconazole (53.3 ± 12.9%) > chlorfenapyr (46.0 ± 13.8%) and lufenuron (45.1 ± 16.0%). For the overall reduction by pesticide, azoxystrobin had the highest reduction (66.2%), whereas lufenuron had the lowest reduction (45.1%). A reduction difference of approximately 20% was found between the highest and lowest values for each pesticide. The reduction efficiencies of thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, fludioxonil, and diniconazole were not significantly different. Furthermore, lufenuron and chlorfenapyr were not significantly different.
