Comparative Study of Three Different Methods for the Determination of Aflatoxins in Tahini

Abstract

Aflatoxins spiked at three different levels (6.5, 13.0, and 19.5 microg/kg) in tahini, a sesame butter, were analyzed by using three different methods: high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), fluorometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An immunoaffinity column was used for cleanup and purification of extracts prior to detection by HPLC and fluorometry. All methods were statistically evaluated for accuracy, precision, and simple correlations. Additionally, 14 tahini samples randomly obtained from Turkish retail markets were analyzed using an immunoaffinity column cleanup procedure coupled with the HPLC detection method. The fluorometric determination method involving an immunoaffinity column cleanup step was found to be highly correlated with the HPLC method (r = 0.978). Both methods were found to be effective due to their high recoveries and low variance for the prediction of total aflatoxin contamination in tahini samples. The ELISA method, due to its high variation in replicates, was found to be applicable only as a screening method. The survey study demonstrated the need for control of aflatoxin contamination of foodstuffs involving sesame seeds as an ingredient.

Comparison of thin-layer chromatography, spectrofluorimetry and bright greenish-yellow fluorescence test for aflatoxin detection in corn

“…The correlation between TLC and spectrofluorimetry data for aflatoxin determination in naturally contaminated corn samples is shown in Figure 1. The correlation coefficient (ρ) of 0.97 was similar to that reported by Nilüfer and Boyacioglu (2002), who evaluated aflatoxins spiked in tahini by HPLC and fluorometry (ρ = 0.98). Beaver et al (1990) reported a high correlation coefficient (ρ = 0.99) analyzing 35 corn samples by postcolumn derivatization-liquid chromatography (LC-PCD) and TLC.…”

Comparison of ELISA, HPLC-FLD and HPLC-MS/MS Methods for Determination of Aflatoxin M1 in Natural Contaminated Milk Samples

“…Further, Nilufer and Boyacioglu 47 indicated that food matrix also may have great influence on correlation between methods. Mühlemann et al 48 confirmed this observation with obtained good correlation coefficients between methods for aflatoxins determination in peanut and oilseeds samples, and low correlation coefficients for cereals and grains.…”

Immunoaffinity column clean-up techniques in food analysis: A review

“…Visual comparison with known levels of aflatoxins, which have been similarly processed enables a semi-quantitative assessment of the original concentration in the food or feed. Alternatively, by eluting into a tube rather than passing through the tip, after addition of a few drops of reagent the concentration can be directly read using a simple fluorimeter, as exemplified by analysis of aflatoxins in tahini paste [71].…”