Simultaneous determination of aflatoxins, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and fumonisins in cereal-derived products by QuEChERS extraction coupled with LC-MS/MS

Abstract

A fast, easy, and cheap method for the simultaneous determination and quantification of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2), T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and fumonisins (B1, B2) in cereal-derived products was developed. This method involved a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method validation was performed by analyzing samples spiked at four levels, and the recoveries ranged from 83.6 to 102.9%, whereas the maximum values of repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility were 14.3 and 15.7% following the performance criteria set by the European legislation. The method was then applied for the analysis of 21 cereal-derived products purchased on the Italian market, which were correctly packaged and labeled as intended for human consumption. The co-occurrence of more than one mycotoxin in the analyzed samples could represent a risk for consumers, and the described method could be a valid alternative for their simultaneous detection in the framework of official control. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb Platycladus orientalis

“…The European Commission Regulation (1998) has set maximum limits of total AF and AFB 1 at 4 and 2 µg/kg in cereals, respectively. Current detection methods for AF level include thin layer chromatography, enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (Wang et al, 2013;Zitomer et al, 2015;Akhund et al, 2017;Annunziata et al, 2017). The purification of AF by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection combined with immunoaffinity column (IAC-HPLC-FLD) has been applied in many complex sample substrates, which is easy to operate and highly sensitive.…”

Combinational Inhibitory Action of Hedychium spicatum L. Essential Oil and γ-Radiation on Growth Rate and Mycotoxins Content of Fusarium graminearum in Maize: Response Surface Methodology

“…The fungal infestation brings intolerable alterations in appearance, color, texture, flavor, and nutrition of food (Pitt and Hockings, 2009 ). Therefore, the incidence of fungi and mycotoxins contamination in agricultural products have become one of the foremost issues of farmers, food industry, and government concerning the food safety (Annunziata et al, 2017 ; Udomkun et al, 2017 ).…”

Comparison of liquid chromatography instruments with single quadrupole and tandem mass spectrometry for trace level analysis: Aflatoxin m1 (afm1) in white cheese

“…In conclusion, the contribution and potential of MS-based techniques were clearly shown as they can detect trace levels of AFM 1 in white cheese because of their high sensitivity. Although there were a number of studies explaining the detection of AFM1 either only LC-MS or LCMSMS only [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] , this study showed the detection of AFM1 by these two methods…”