Validation of the procedure for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins ochratoxin A and zearalenone in cereals using HPLC-FLD

Method validation for quantitative analysis of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) in cereals using HPLC with fluorescence detector (FLD) is described. Mycotoxins were extracted with methanol?:?water (80?:?20) and purified with a multifunctional AOZ immunoaffinity column before HPLC analysis. The validation of the analytical method was performed to establish the following parameters: specificity, selectivity, linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision (within- and between-day variability), stability, robustness, measurement of performance, and measurement of uncertainty. Calibration curves were linear (r?>?0.999) over the concentration range, from the LOQ to 26, 40 and 400?ng/g for AFs, OTA and ZEA, respectively. LOD and LOQ were 0.0125 and 0.05?ng/g for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and G1 (AFG1), 0.0037 and 0.015?ng/g for aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) and G2 (AFG2), as well as 0.05 and 0.2?ng/g for OTA and 0.5 and 2?ng/g for ZEA, respectively. The mean recovery values were 77–104% for different concentrations of AFs, OTA and ZEA in spiked cereal samples. Both intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were within acceptable limits. This method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins for 60 cereal samples collected from Malaysian markets. Fifty per cent of the cereal samples were contaminated with at least one of these mycotoxins, at a level greater than the LOD. Only one wheat sample and two rice samples were contaminated with levels greater than the European Union regulatory limits for AFs and OTA (4 and 5?ng/g). The means and ranges of mycotoxins obtained for the cereal samples were 0.4?ng/g and 0.01–5.9?ng/g for total AFs; 0.18?ng/g and 0.03–5.3?ng/g for OTA; and 2.8?ng/g and 2.4–73.1?ng/g for ZEA, respectively. The results indicate that the method is suitable for the simultaneous determination of AFs, OTA and ZEA in cereals and is suitable for routine analysis.     

Simultaneous detection of 12 mycotoxins in cereals using RP-HPLC-PDA-FLD with PHRED and a post-column derivatization system

A new method for the simultaneous quantification of 12 mycotoxins was developed and optimized using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with a photodiode array (PDA) and fluorescence detector (FLD), a photochemical reactor for enhanced detection (PHRED) and post-column derivatization. The mycotoxins included aflatoxins (AFB(1), AFB(2), AFG(1), and AFG(2)), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FB(1), FB(2), and FB(3)), T-2 and HT-2 toxins. A double sample extraction with a phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) and methanol was used for co-extraction of mycotoxins, and a multifunctional immunoaffinity column was used for cleanup. Optimum conditions for separation of the mycotoxins were obtained to separate 12 mycotoxins in FLD and PDA chromatograms with a high resolution. The method gave recoveries in the range 72-111% when applied to spiked corn samples. The limits of detection (LOD) were 0.025 ng/g for AFB(1) and AFG(1), 0.012 ng/g for AFB(2) and AFG(2), 0.2 ng/g for OTA, 1.5 ng/g for ZEA, 6.2 ng/g for FB(1), FB(3) and HT-2 toxin, 9.4 ng/g for FB(2) and T-2 toxin, and 18.7 ng/g for DON. In addition, the limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.04 ng/g for AFB(2) and AFG(2) to 62 ng/g for DON. The method was successfully applied to the determination of these mycotoxins in 45 cereal samples obtained from the Malaysian market. The results indicated that the method can be applied for the multi-mycotoxin determination of cereals.     

Sample preparation optimization for the simultaneous determination of mycotoxins in cereals

The efficiency of three extraction solvents and three clean-up procedures was compared for simultaneous extraction and purification of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEA) from spiked cereal samples. The best recovery rates for all mycotoxins were achieved using methanol: water (80:20) as the extraction solvent and AOZ multi-functional immunoaffinity column (IAC), as clean up method with recovery values of 61–89%, while that of Oasis HLB and MycoSep 226 were 37–67% and 44–78%, respectively. Then, five variables in the IAC clean-up conditions, including primary conditioning with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (0–10 mL) (X1), extract load up volume (10–20 mL) (X2), washing volume with PBS (10–20 mL) (X3), and eluting solution volumes with methanol (1–3 mL) (X4) and acetic acid (0–1.5 mL) (X5), were optimized for the specific purification and enrichment of the mycotoxins. Results showed that primary conditioning and PBS washing did not have a significant effect on the recovery responses of mycotoxins. Optimized conditions were selected as 0, 15, 10, 1.3, and 1.5 mL for X1–X5, respectively. The recovery rates of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, OTA and ZEA were within 93–104% in spiked rice, under optimal conditions. LOD and LOQ were 0.0125 and 0.05 ng/g for AFB1 and AFG1, 0.0037 and 0.015 ng/g for AFB2 and AFG2, 0.05 and 0.2 ng/g for OTA, and 0.5 and 2 ng/g for ZEA, respectively. Extraction of spiked cereal samples with methanol: water (80:20) and clean up using AOZ IAC column in optimal condition provided recovery range of 77–104% for all targeted mycotoxins.     

Co-occurrence of aflatoxins,ochratoxin A and zearalenone in Capsicum powder samples available on the Spanish market

The aim of this study was to determine the co-occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA) in paprika and chilli samples purchased in Spain, using HPLC with fluorescence detection. The occurrence of mycotoxin in 64 paprika samples was 59% for AFs, 98% for OTA and 39% for ZEA, whereas in the 35 chilli samples, the contamination was 40% for AFs, 100% for OTA and 46% for ZEA. None of the samples had AFs levels higher than the legally allowable limits. Regarding the co-occurrence of mycotoxins, 75% of paprika samples and 65% of chilli samples contained more than one mycotoxin. Chilli samples generally had lower concentrations of AFB1, AFB2, total AFs and OTA than had paprika samples. The high incidence of OTA contamination suggests that additional legislation may be required to for these kinds of spices.     

Determination of mycotoxins in cereals by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method is described for simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁ and AFG₂), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FB₁ and FB₂), T2 and HT2-toxin in cereals. One-step extraction using solvent mixtures of acetonitrile:water:acetic acid (79:20:1) without any clean-up was employed for extraction of these mycotoxins from cereals. The mean recoveries of mycotoxins in spiked cereals ranged from 76.8% to 108.4%. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged 0.01–20 and 0.02–40 ng/g, respectively. The developed method has been applied for the determination of mycotoxins in 100 cereal samples collected from Malaysian markets. A total of 77 cereal samples (77%) contaminated with at least one of these mycotoxins. Occurrence of mycotoxins in commercial cereal samples were 70%, 40%, 25%, 36%, 19%, 13%, 16, and 16% for aflatoxins, OTA, ZEA, DON, FB₁, FB₂, T2 and HT2-toxin, respectively. The results demonstrated that the procedure was suitable for the determination of mycotoxins in cereals and could be implemented for the routine analysis.     

Co-occurrence of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in barley from a northern region of Spain

One-hundred and twenty-three barley samples from a region of Spain (Navarra) were analysed in order to evaluate the possible co-occurrence of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFG1, AFB2 and AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA). The results indicated that 80% of the samples presented detectable, although very low levels, of two or more mycotoxins. The most frequent combinations were AFB1 and OTA; AFB1, ZEA and OTA; and AFB1 and ZEA. In general, the statistical study did not show significant differences between levels or incidence for the mycotoxins in different years of harvest, variety of barley, farming or origin. The calculated values for daily intake were low and the risk to consumers could be assumed to be very low. However, the co-occurrence of several mycotoxins, and therefore synergic or additive effects, should be taken into account when determining permitted levels or risk assessment.     

Simultaneous detection of 12 mycotoxins in cereals using RP-HPLC-PDA-FLD with PHRED and a post-column derivatization system

A new method for the simultaneous quantification of 12 mycotoxins was developed and optimized using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with a photodiode array (PDA) and fluorescence detector (FLD), a photochemical reactor for enhanced detection (PHRED) and post-column derivatization. The mycotoxins included aflatoxins (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁, and AFG₂), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins (FB₁, FB₂, and FB₃), T-2 and HT-2 toxins. A double sample extraction with a phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) and methanol was used for co-extraction of mycotoxins, and a multifunctional immunoaffinity column was used for cleanup. Optimum conditions for separation of the mycotoxins were obtained to separate 12 mycotoxins in FLD and PDA chromatograms with a high resolution. The method gave recoveries in the range 72–111% when applied to spiked corn samples. The limits of detection (LOD) were 0.025?ng/g for AFB₁ and AFG₁, 0.012?ng/g for AFB₂ and AFG₂, 0.2?ng/g for OTA, 1.5?ng/g for ZEA, 6.2?ng/g for FB₁, FB₃ and HT-2 toxin, 9.4?ng/g for FB₂ and T-2 toxin, and 18.7?ng/g for DON. In addition, the limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.04?ng/g for AFB₂ and AFG₂ to 62?ng/g for DON. The method was successfully applied to the determination of these mycotoxins in 45 cereal samples obtained from the Malaysian market. The results indicated that the method can be applied for the multi-mycotoxin determination of cereals.     

重庆地区辣椒、花椒、八角中真菌毒素污染状况分析

目的 了解重庆地区辣椒、花椒和八角中真菌毒素污染状况。方法 采用随机抽样方法,在重庆地区盘溪、菜园坝和江津三个市场,抽取180批次香辛料样品,采用HPLC-MS/MS检测黄曲霉毒素（AFB1、AFB2、AFG1和AFG2）、赭曲霉毒素A（OTA）和伏马毒素（FB1和FB2）。结果 重庆地区辣椒、花椒和八角中的真菌毒素总检出率分别为60.0%、100%、96.7%。AFs和OTA是三种香辛料最主要的污染毒素,其中AFG2是最主要的黄曲霉代谢产物。盘溪市场的AFs污染总体情况稍好,菜园坝市场AFs污染最严重;江津市场的OTA污染最为严重。结论 香辛料中存在真菌毒素污染,有必要建立香辛料中真菌毒素的限量标准。     

高效液相色谱法同时检测粮谷中的黄曲霉毒素和赭曲霉毒素

建立粮谷类食品中黄曲霉毒素(B1、B2、G1 和G2)和赭曲霉毒素A 的同时检测方法。样品经过甲醇- 水(80:20,V/V)提取,液液萃取净化和富集后,三氟乙酸衍生,采用Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 色谱柱(4.6mm ×250mm),以乙腈和体积分数2% 冰醋酸溶液为流动相梯度洗脱,在线变换波长荧光检测。根据3 倍信噪比的峰 响应值,确定黄曲霉毒素(B1、B2、G1 和G2)和赭曲霉毒素A 检出限分别为0.06、0.03、0.18、0.05μg/kg 和0.51μg/kg,上述5 种毒素分别在质量浓度0.05～100、0.125～25.00、0.05～100、0.125～25.00μg/L 和0.05～50.00μg/L 范围内呈线性相关,相关系数r 分别为0.9998、0.9998、0.9998、0.9996 和0.9998;在玉米、大米、小麦3 类样品中加标回收率平均为71.73%～115.37%,相对标准偏差为3.00%～9.88%,方法学验证结果表明,黄曲霉毒素和赭曲霉毒素A 5 种毒素同时检测结果与现行国标的单独检测方法检测结果无显著性差异(P ＞ 0.05)。     

Determination of mycotoxins in biscuits,dried fruits and fruit jams: an assessment of human exposure

ABSTRACT

A reliable, fast and simple method using UHPLC-MS/MS was developed for the determination of aflatoxins B₁ (AFB1), G₁ (AFG1), B₂ (AFB2) and G₂ (AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin in crude extracts of biscuits with fruit filling, cookies, dried fruits and fruit jams. The method was successfully demonstrated on 39 samples of biscuits with fruit filling, 34 cookies, 14 dried fruits and 10 fruit jams. The mycotoxins detected in biscuits samples were ZEA, OTA, T-2 and AFB1 with an average concentrations of positive samples of 2.64, 4.10, 8.13 and 1.32 µg kg^?1, respectively; while the mycotoxins detected in jam samples were AFB1, OTA, T-2 and AFB2 with an average concentrations of positive samples of 2.00, 17.7, 4.37 and 1.15 µg kg^?1, respectively. The results showed that the majority of samples were in compliance with relevant regulations. However in eight samples of biscuits and three samples of fig jam the contents of OTA were higher than the existing OTA limits. The combined dietary exposure of selected mycotoxins was estimated for the first time for children, adolescents and adults. The estimated combined dietary exposures were all lower than the proposed value assumed to predict a possible risk scenario.     

Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A and their Aspergillus causal species in Tunisian cereals

ABSTRACT

Occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2 and ochra toxin A (OTA) was studied in 65 samples of stored and freshly harvested wheat, barley and maize collected in Tunisia. The mycotoxins were simultaneously extracted and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Determination of AF-producing (section Flavi) and OTA-producing Aspergillus species (sections Nigri and Circumdati) was conducted in these samples by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results showed that most of maize samples were contaminated with AFs, data after storage showing lower values than those collected at harvest. All contaminated maize samples contained AFG1 and AFG2, among which 27.78% also had AFB1 and AFB2. This AFs pattern was consistent with the A. parasiticus toxin profile. A. flavus however showed the highest frequency in maize but was also found in barley and wheat where no AFs were detected. In contrast, OTA was neither found in maize nor in barley and only one wheat sample contained OTA. A. niger was the only OTA-producing species detected.     

Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in stored barley grain in Spain and impact of PCR-based strategies to assess the occurrence of aflatoxigenic and ochratoxigenic Aspergillus spp

Contamination of barley by moulds and mycotoxins results in quality and nutritional losses and represents a significant hazard to the food chain. The presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in stored barley in Spain has been studied. Species-specific PCR assays were used for detection of Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. ochraceus, A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. carbonarius and A. niger aggregate in mycotoxin-positive barley samples at different incubation times (0, 1 and 2 days). Classical enumeration techniques (CFU/g) in different culture media for evaluation of Aspergillus in sections Flavi, Circumdati and Nigri were also used. One hundred and five barley kernel samples were collected in Spanish grain stores from 2008 to 2010, and analyzed using a previously optimized method involving accelerated solvent extraction, cleanup by immunoaffinity column, liquid chromatographic separation, post-column derivatization with iodine and fluorescence detection. Twenty-nine samples were contaminated with at least one of the studied mycotoxins. AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and OTA were detected in 12.4%, 2.9%, 4.8%, 2.9%, and 20% of the samples, respectively. Aflatoxins and OTA co-occurred in 4.8% of the samples. Maximum mycotoxin levels (ng/g) were 0.61 (AFB1), 0.06 (AFB2), 0.26 (AFG1), 0.05 (AFG2), and 2.0 (OTA). The results of PCR assays indicated the presence of all the studied species, except A. westerdijkiae. The PCR assays showed high levels of natural contamination of barley with the studied species of Aspergillus which do not correspond to the expected number of CFU/g in the cultures. These results suggest that a high number of non-viable spores or hyphae may exist in the samples. This is the first study carried out on the levels of aflatoxins and OTA in barley grain in Spain. Likewise, this is the first report on the presence of aflatoxigenic and ochratoxigenic Aspergillus spp. in barley grain naturally contaminated with those mycotoxins using a species-specific PCR approach.     

Preliminary data on the presence of mycotoxins (ochratoxin A, citrinin and aflatoxin B1) in black table olives "Greek style" of Moroccan origin

Many mould strains, in particular Aspergillus and/or Penicillium, are able to develop on olive and produce ochratoxin A (OTA) and/or citrinin (CIT) and/or aflatoxin B (AFB) after harvest, during drying and storage of olives. The development of fungi on olives is responsible for the reduction of nutritional quality of olive because they can disturb the synthesis of the fatty acids. OTA, CIT and AFB are particularly dangerous for health, inducing cancer of urinary tracts or liver carcinoma. In this study, ten olive samples bought at retailer and at supermarket in Morocco were analyzed for their OTA, CIT and AFB contents. These three mycotoxins were extracted simultaneously by a method based on solvent partition validated in-house, then separated by HPLC coupled to a fluorescence detector. All olive samples contain OTA ranging from LOQ to 1.02 microg/kg. Respectively, 50 and 25% from retailer and supermarket samples were contaminated by more than 0.65 microg/kg. In addition, 80% of olive samples contained CIT above LOD, and 100% of olive tested contained AFB above 0.5 microg/kg. As simultaneous presence of these toxins increases toxic risks, it is thus essential to have a good control of the conservation of olives after harvest.     

Levels of ochratoxin A in wheat and maize bread from the central zone of Portugal

Ochratoxigenic fungi are natural contaminants of cereal and the produced toxins are harmful to humans and animals. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is among the most important mycotoxins, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies it as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B). A total of 61 samples of bread from the central zone of Portugal were analysed for OTA by liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection (FD). For confirmation two procedures were applied, methyl ester derivatization with boron trifluoride-methanol and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS/MS). As far as we know, this is the first report where on-line LC/electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used for OTA analysis in bread. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.015 and 0.03 ng/g, using LC-FD, and 0.03 and 0.09 ng/g by LC-MS/MS. The incidence of OTA was 12.9% and 70.0% for wheat and maize bread, respectively. The highest OTA levels were obtained for maize bread, having one sample exceeded the European maximum limit established for OTA in cereal products. The estimate daily intake (EDI) was below the tolerable daily intake.     

Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxins in dried figs and nuts in Algeria

The presence of Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxin (AF) contamination was investigated in 112 samples of peanuts, almonds and dried figs collected in Algeria. The occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) in different commodities has been determined with a sensitive method based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence detection with post-column photochemical derivatisation. Analytical results indicated that 28 samples of peanuts, 16 samples of almonds and 26 samples of dried figs contained detectable levels of AFs. A total of 69 samples (61.6%) were contaminated with AFB1 ranging from the limit of quantification to 174 µg kg^?1. AFB2 was found in 12 samples (10.7%) and varied from 0.18 to 193 µg kg^?1. Seven samples revealed AF concentrations lower than the limit of quantification. Eleven peanut and fourteen dried fig samples exceeded the European maximum limits for AFB1.     

Surveys of rice sold in Canada for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and fumonisins

Approximately 200 samples of rice (including white, brown, red, black, basmati and jasmine, as well as wild rice) from several different countries, including the United States, Canada, Pakistan, India and Thailand, were analysed for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisins by separate liquid chromatographic methods in two different years. The mean concentrations for aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) were 0.19 and 0.17 ng g(-1) with respective positive incidences of 56% and 43% (≥ the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.002 ng g(-1)). Twenty-three samples analysed in the second year also contained aflatoxin B(2) (AFB(2)) at levels ≥LOD of 0.002 ng g(-1). The five most contaminated samples in each year contained 1.44-7.14 ng AFB(1) g(-1) (year 1) and 1.45-3.48 ng AFB(1) g(-1) (year 2); they were mostly basmati rice from India and Pakistan and black and red rice from Thailand. The average concentrations of ochratoxin A (OTA) were 0.05 and 0.005 ng g(-1) in year 1 and year 2, respectively; incidences of samples containing ≥LOD of 0.05 ng g(-1) were 43% and 1%, respectively, in the 2 years. All positive OTA results were confirmed by LC-MS/MS. For fumonisins, concentrations of fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) averaged 4.5 ng g(-1) in 15 positive samples (≥0.7 ng g(-1)) from year 1 (n = 99); fumonisin B(2) (FB(2)) and fumonisin B(3) (FB(3)) were also present (≥1 ng g(-1)). In the second year there was only one positive sample (14 ng g(-1) FB(1)) out of 100 analysed. All positive FB(1) results were confirmed by LC-MS/MS.     

Aflatoxins,ochratoxins and zearalenone in sorghum and sorghum products in Sudan

This survey examined 60 samples of sorghum and 30 samples of sorghum products from three states (Khartoum, Kordofan and Gadarif) of Sudan for aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), ochratoxin A and B (OTA, OTB) and zearalenone (ZEN), using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range 0.01–0.6 µg kg^–1 and 0.03–2.0 µg kg^?1, respectively. The frequency of contaminated samples with AFB1 from Khartoum, Gadarif and Kordofan state was 38.1%, 22.2% and 23.8%, respectively. Only two samples of sorghum from Khartoum state were contaminated with OTA (3.3%). Concentrations of OTA and OTB were low and may not cause problems. No sample of sorghum or sorghum products was contaminated with ZEN. Some sorghum samples contained AFB1 concentrations above the European Union regulatory limits. The highest contaminated samples were found in Khartoum state.     

Fusarium mycotoxins and ochratoxin A in cereals and cereal products: results from the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority in 2004

Results from the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority on contamination of cereals and cereal products from the Bavarian market with the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), and ochratoxin A (OTA) and of maize meal and semolina with fumonisins (FUM) in the year 2004 are presented. Contamination rates and levels of DON, ZEA, and OTA were low and did not exceed the maximum levels. However, a 92% contamination rate and high levels of FUM in maize meal and semolina were measured. Contamination levels of mycotoxins are discussed and evaluated with respect to possible health implications for consumers.     

Screening of mycotoxin multicontamination in medicinal and aromatic herbs sampled in Spain

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to screen the multicontamination by mycotoxins in a wide variety of aromatic and/or medicinal herb samples collected in Spain. Mycotoxins studied were aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), T‐2 toxin (T‐2), citrinin and fumonisins (FBs). Mycotoxins were analysed by ELISA after a clean‐up step with multifunctional columns (AFs, ZEA, DON, FBs and T‐2) or polyamide column (citrinin). RESULTS: Of the 84 samples analysed 99% were contaminated with T‐2, 98% with ZEA, 96% with AFs, 63% with OTA, 62% with DON, 61% with citrinin and 13% with FBs. Nearly 87% of samples contained four or more mycotoxins simultaneously, being AFs, T‐2 and ZEA the mycotoxins co‐existing in almost every sample. 100% of the samples in our study were multicontaminated. CONCLUSION: This study shows that this kind of commodity could be an important source of mycotoxin contamination and, in general, this contamination is not limited to only one group of mycotoxins. Mycotoxin contamination on artichoke immature florets, boldus leaves, burdock leaves, dandelion plant, frangula bark, ginkgo leaves, lemon verbena leaves, olive leaves, red tea leaves, ribgrass leaves, St Mary's thistle seeds, spearmint leaves, star anise fruit, vervain and white tea leaves has been described for the first time. Finally, this is the first report on DON and T‐2 presence in herbs. No study of this kind has been previously developed in Spain. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Aflatoxins contamination of maize in Serbia: the impact of weather conditions in 2015

ABSTRACT

In recent years climate changes recorded in temperate regions of Europe have led to aflatoxin (AF) contamination of maize. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of weather conditions on levels of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB1), aflatoxin B₂ (AFB2), aflatoxin G₁ (AFG1) and aflatoxin G₂ (AFG2) in 180 maize samples collected from the main maize-growing regions (Western Ba?ka, North Banat, South Banat and Central Serbia) in Serbia after harvest in 2015. The concentrations of AFs were determined by a validated HPLC method with post-column derivatisation and fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). The presence of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 was detected in 57.2%, 13.9%, 5.6% and 2.8% of maize samples in the concentration ranges of 1.3–88.8 µg kg^–1, 0.60–2.8 µg kg^–1, 1.8–28.5 µg kg^–1 and 2.1–7.5 µg kg^–1 respectively. The recorded smaller amount of precipitation and especially higher air temperatures during the summer of 2015 were favourable for AF production, which resulted in 32.2% and 21.1% of samples being unsuitable for human consumption, since AFB1 and the sum of AFs concentrations were above 5.0 and 10.0 µg kg^–1 respectively. Furthermore, the findings in this study indicate that the microclimate conditions in the investigated regions had a great influence on the contamination frequency of maize with AFs. The highest percentage of samples unsuitable for human consumption, considering both AFB1 and total AFs content were 72.5% and 51.5% respectively from Central Serbia, whilst the lowest percentages of 15.6% and 6.2% respectively were found in Western Ba?ka. These findings confirmed that maize should be continuously monitored in order to protect human and animal health from the harmful effects caused by AFs contamination.