The first successfully developed molecularly imprinted polymer toward six ergot alkaloids and their respective epimers is described. A new imprinting molecule, metergoline, was used as template analogue in the production of suspension polymerized beads. These spherical particles functioned as selective sorbent in a solid-phase extraction column. The application of this column in the cleanup of barley samples prior to liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry allowed simple and cost-efficient sample preparation. The performance of the imprinted polymer and a non-imprinted control polymer was evaluated. This includes determination of the recovery values and the matrix effect of each of the 12 tested ergot alkaloids as well as a crossreactivity study with 25 common mycotoxins. The binding isotherms were obtained for metergoline, thus allowing comparison with other (imprinted) sorbents. A comparison between bulk and suspension polymerization is provided to determine the appropriate production technique. E rgot alkaloids are mycotoxins produced by Claviceps species, specifically Claviceps purpurea. These fungi can be found on cereals and produce sclerotia, which vary in composition and concentration of ergot alkaloids. The sclerotia are harvested together with the grains and only up to 80% of the kernels can be removed with the mechanical separation techniques currently available. Especially in periods of drought these techniques become unreliable as smaller sclerotia, similar in size to the grains, are produced. Generally, sclerotia are also broken during transport, allowing them to enter the food chain more easily.These ergot alkaloids possess toxicity due to interactions with α-adrenergic, serotinergic, and dopaminergic receptors. 1−3 Excess intake by humans can cause nausea, convulsions, hallucinations, and vasoconstriction and can even lead to gangrenous symptoms and abortion. Animals are infected through consumption of contaminated feed. This is a widespread phenomenon in livestock leading to adverse effects ranging from weight loss to death of infected animals. [4][5][6]2,7 The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated in 2005 that the degree of variability in ergot alkaloid pattern in relation to fungal species, host plant, and geographical distribution is not known. 5 Six ergot alkaloidsergometrine, ergosine, ergotamine, ergocristine, ergocryptine, and ergocornine which are considered the most important ones according to EFSA, are depicted in Figure 1. An isomerization from the biologically active R-form to the biologically inactive S-form occurs at the C 8 stereogenic center of the tetracyclic ergoline structure in a reversible epimerization reaction. 8,9,6 The suffix "-ine" is used in the nomenclature if the side chain is present in the R-form at the C 8 stereogenic center, for example, ergotamine. The side chain is present in the S-orientation in the corresponding epimer which is expressed by the suffix "-inine", for example, ergotaminine. This reaction is promoted in humid, aqueous,...