Occurrence of deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) in processed cereals and pulses in Turkey

The aim was to investigate the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereal and pulse products in Turkey. DON was detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet detection at 220 nm and positive results greater or equal to 0.60 ppm were confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). An acetonitrile-water (21:4 v/v) extract of the sample was cleaned up on a column packed with alumina-Celite-charcoal (0.35 + 0.25 + 0.40 g). The detection limits for DON were 3 ng/injection (0.10 ppm) and 50 ng/spot (0.60 ppm) for HPLC and TLC, respectively. Eighty-three commercially available cereal and pulse product samples collected from markets and street bazaars were analysed. The recovery rates for boiled, pounded wheat and rice spiked with added DON (1 ppm) were 80.9% (SD 8.37, n =5) and 72.3% (3.85, n =5), respectively. DON was detected in six (8.82%) of 68 cereal and in none of 15 pulse products. The maximum detected amount was 2.67 ppm in a corn flour sample.     

A Sensitive Immunoaffinity Column-Linked Indirect Competitive ELISA for Ochratoxin A in Cereal and Oil Products Based on a New Monoclonal Antibody

A new sensitive monoclonal antibody (mAb) 1H2 against ochratoxin A (OTA) was reported herein. This mAb belonged to the immunoglobulin G1 (k chain) isotype. In the optimized indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA), 1H2 showed a 50 % inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) value of 0.058 ng/mL and a detection limit (IC₁₀) of 0.001 ng/mL. The cross-reactivity of 1H2 with ochratoxin B, aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, or fumonisins was below 0.3 %. Based on this mAb, an immunoaffinity column (IAC)-linked icELISA was developed for OTA detection in the cereal and oil products. The working range of the assay for solid sample was 0.36–16 μg/kg. The recoveries from spiked samples of IAC-linked icELISA ranged from 83 to 101 %. These recoveries were much higher than those of icELISA (21–78 %) and in good agreement with those obtained by using the standard high-performance liquid chromatography method (87–110 %). The results indicated that the mAb 1H2 had the values for studies of OTA in the crude agricultural products.     

Determination of fumonisin B1 and B2 in corn and corn-based products in Turkey by high-performance liquid chromatography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate fumonisin B1 (FB1)- and B2 (FB2)-contaminated corn and corn-based products consumed especially by the Turkish population. FB1 and FB2 were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The total number of commercially available corn and corn-based product samples analyzed in this research was 82. The recoveries were found to be 94.4 +/- 4.62% and 86.5 +/- 4.86% for cornmeal spiked with known amounts of FB1 and FB2 (1 ppm), respectively. The minimum detectable amount for the o-phthaldialdehyde derivatives of FB1 and FB2 were 1 ng and 5 ng, respectively. Detected levels of FB1 were between 0.25 ppm and 2.66 ppm in 25.6% of the samples, and detected level of FB2 in a single cornmeal sample was 0.55 ppm.     

Determination of trichothecenes in cereals and cereal-based products by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive, accurate and precise method for the simultaneous determination of nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2) in different food matrices, including wheat, maize, barley, cereal-based infant foods, snacks, biscuits and wafers, has been developed. The method, using liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS/MS), allowed unambiguous identification of the selected trichothecenes at low µg per kg levels in such complex food matrices. A clean-up procedure, based on reversed phase SPE Oasis® HLB columns, was used, allowing good recoveries for all studied trichothecenes. In particular, NIV recoveries significantly improved compared to those obtained by using Mycosep® #227 columns for clean-up of the extracts. Limits of detection in the various investigated matrices ranged 2.5-4.0 µg kg^-1 for NIV, 2.8-5.3 µg kg^-1 for DON, 0.4-1.7 µg kg^-1 for HT-2 and 0.4-1.0 µg kg^-1 for T-2. Mean recovery values, obtained from cereals and cereal products spiked with NIV, DON, HT-2 and T-2 toxins at levels from 10 to 1000 µg kg^-1, ranged from 72 to 110% with mean relative standard deviation lower than 10%. A systematic investigation of matrix effects in different cereals and cereal products was also carried out by statistically comparing the slopes of standard calibration curve with matrix-matched calibration curve for each of the four toxins and the eight matrices tested. For seven of the eight matrices tested, statistically significant matrix effects were observed, indicating that, for accurate quantitative analysis, matrix-matched calibration was necessary. The method was applied to the analysis of 57 samples of ground wheat originated from South Italy and nine cereal food samples collected from retail markets.     

Measurement of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in eggs by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

T-2 toxin is a mycotoxin produced by several species of common fungi capable of infesting human food and animal feeds. Lower-quality feeds given to chickens may be contaminated with T-2 toxin, which may affect their health. The literature suggests that T-2 toxin is transmitted from the hen to the eggs. This article describes the development of a liquid chromatographic assay for T-2 and the related mycotoxin HT-2 in eggs. T-2 and HT-2 toxins were isolated from spiked eggs with a tandem charcoal-alumina-Florisil column and immunoaffinity column cleanup. The isolated toxins were derivatized with the fluorophore 1-anthroyl nitrile, separated by high-performance liquid chromatography, and quantitated by fluorescence. The limit of detection of the method was 1 ng ml(-1) (parts per billion) of T-2 and HT-2 in whole (with shell removed) eggs. The limit of quantitation for both toxins was 5 ng ml(-1). Recoveries from spiked eggs over the range from 5 to 50 ng ml(-1) averaged 89.2% for T-2 and 100.3% for HT-2, with coefficients of variation of 3.5 and 8.2%, respectively. This method is sensitive enough to be used to check for the presence of T-2 or HT-2 toxins in eggs.     

A collaborative study to validate novel field immunoassay kits for rapid mycotoxin detection

Kits designed to detect ochratoxin A (OA) and T-2 toxin by a membrane-based flow-through enzyme immunoassay were studied collaboratively by screening cereals (wheat, rye, maize and barley) for the presence of these mycotoxins. Sample preparation and test procedure were clearly described in the instruction leaflets included in the kits. A simple methanol-based extraction followed by filtration and dilution steps was prescribed. Reagents were successively pipetted to the membrane of the device, then colour development was evaluated visually. Limits of detection for the ochratoxin A and T-2 toxin tests were 4 and 50 microg kg(-1), respectively. Five laboratories took part in the first stage of this study, and five more joined the second stage. Cereal samples (blank, spiked or inoculated) were shipped with the kits to the participating laboratories, while results obtained were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for ochratoxin A and T-2 toxin, respectively. Some initial difficulties were encountered. In the second stage, four ochratoxin A and four T-2 toxin kits were used by 10 collaborators to analyse 21 cereal samples. For the ochratoxin A kits, the percentage of false positive and false negative results were 2% and 4%, respectively. The results of one T-2 toxin kit were outliers and when excluded, the overall percentage false positive and false negative results were 6% and 3%, respectively.     

Simple and high-throughput method for the multimycotoxin analysis in cereals and related foods by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid, reliable and sensitive method was developed to determine 12 mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and M1, fumonisins B1 and B2, ochratoxin A, HT-2 and T-2 toxin and zearalenone) simultaneously in maize, walnuts, biscuits and breakfast cereals. The method is based on a single extraction step using acetonitrile/water mixture (80/20 v/v) followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). The selectivity of the MS/MS detection allowed the elimination of further clean up steps. Extraction, chromatographic and detection conditions were optimised in order to increase sample throughput and sensitivity. Matrix-matched calibration was used for quantification and recoveries of the extraction process ranged from 70.0% and 108.4%, with relative standard deviations lower than 25% in all the cases, when samples were fortified at 5 and 50 μg/kg. Limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 2.1 μg/kg and limits of quantification ranged from 0.03 to 6.30 μg/kg, which were always below the tolerance levels of mycotoxins set by European Union in the matrices evaluated. Several samples were analysed and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and T-2 toxin were detected in one maize sample, with concentrations lower than 6.0 μg/kg and deoxynivalenol was detected in a breakfast cereal at 42.1 μg/kg.     

Incidence of trichothecenes and zearalenone in poultry feed mixtures from Slovakia

A total of 50 samples of poultry feed mixtures of Slovakian origin were analyzed for eight toxicologically significant Fusarium mycotoxins, namely zearalenone (ZON), A-trichothecenes: diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2) and B-trichothecenes: deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) and nivalenol (NIV). The A-trichothecenes and the B-trichothecenes were detected by means of high pressure liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography electron capture detection (GC-ECD), respectively. Reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (RP-HPLC-FLD) was used for ZON detection. The most frequent mycotoxin detected was T-2, which was found in 45 samples (90%) in relatively low concentrations ranging from 1 to 130 microg kg(-1) (average 13 microg kg(-1)), followed by ZON that was found in 44 samples (88%) in concentrations ranging from 3 to 86 microg kg(-1) (average 21 microg kg(-1)). HT-2 and DON were detected in 38 (76%) and 28 (56%) samples, respectively, in concentrations of 2 to 173 (average 18 microg kg(-1)) for HT-2 and 64 to 1230 microg kg(-1) sample (average 303 microg kg(-1)) for DON. The acetyl-derivatives of DON were in just four samples, while NIV was not detected in any of the samples investigated. In as many as 22 samples (44%), a combination of four simultaneously co-occurring mycotoxins, i.e. T-2, HT-2, ZON and DON, was revealed. Despite the limited number of samples investigated during this study poultry feed mixtures may represent a risk from a toxicological point of view and should be regarded as a potential source of the Fusarium mycotoxins in Central Europe. This is the first reported study dealing with zearalenone and trichothecene contamination of poultry mixed feeds from Slovakia.     

T-2 and HT-2 toxins in cereals and cereal-based products in South Korea

A total of 214 samples, consisting of brown rice, barley, mixed grains, corn, wheat and wheat flour were analysed for T-2 and HT-2 toxins using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Recovery and repeatability were 79.9%–107.5% and 4.9%–14.5% for T-2, and 74.0%–106.1% and 5.0%–17.9% for HT-2, respectively. T-2 toxin was detected in 11 (5.1%) of all samples. The highest incidence was found in corn (21.7%) followed by mixed grains and brown rice. Mean of all samples was 1.5–4.1?µg?kg^?1, the maximum level being 41.5?µg?kg^?1 in corn. HT-2 toxin was detected in 126 (58.9%) of all samples, and the mean values were 26.4–59.2?µg?kg^?1. The estimated daily intakes for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxins were 2.56, 3.22, 2.53, 0.03, 0.01 and 2.45?ng (kg?bw)^?1?day^?1 in brown rice, barley, mixed grains, corn, wheat and wheat flour, respectively.     

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.     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定3种水产品中的T-2毒素与HT-2毒素

建立高效液相色谱-串联质谱定量快速检测罗非鱼、南美白对虾和黄金贝中的T-2毒素与HT-2毒素方法。以10 mL乙酸乙酯作为提取溶剂,振荡提取,无水硫酸钠除水,定量移取5 mL提取液氮气吹干后用1 mL含有0.1%甲酸的甲醇-5 mmol/L乙酸铵溶液（3∶7,V/V）复溶,正己烷脱脂净化,基质匹配法外标定量。3 种水产品中T-2毒素和HT-2毒素的检出限分别为2 μg/kg和4 μg/kg。T-2毒素质量浓度为2～100 ng/mL,HT-2毒素质量浓度为4～200 ng/mL,范围内线性良好。在3 种样本中进行3 个水平添加实验（n=6）,T-2毒素回收率为84.3%～109.9%,HT-2毒素的回收率为90.9%～103.2%。T-2毒素的相对标准偏差为2.0%～8.7%,HT-2毒素的相对标准偏差为2.6%～10.6%。本方法简便快速、准确度好、精密度高,适用于3 种代表性水产品中T-2与HT-2毒素的同时检测。     

Determination of trichothecenes in cereals and cereal-based products by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive, accurate and precise method for the simultaneous determination of nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2) in different food matrices, including wheat, maize, barley, cereal-based infant foods, snacks, biscuits and wafers, has been developed. The method, using liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC–APCI–MS/MS), allowed unambiguous identification of the selected trichothecenes at low µg per kg levels in such complex food matrices. A clean-up procedure, based on reversed phase SPE Oasis® HLB columns, was used, allowing good recoveries for all studied trichothecenes. In particular, NIV recoveries significantly improved compared to those obtained by using Mycosep® #227 columns for clean-up of the extracts. Limits of detection in the various investigated matrices ranged 2.5–4.0 µg kg^?1 for NIV, 2.8–5.3 µg kg^?1 for DON, 0.4–1.7 µg kg^?1 for HT-2 and 0.4–1.0 µg kg^?1 for T-2. Mean recovery values, obtained from cereals and cereal products spiked with NIV, DON, HT-2 and T-2 toxins at levels from 10 to 1000 µg kg^?1, ranged from 72 to 110% with mean relative standard deviation lower than 10%. A systematic investigation of matrix effects in different cereals and cereal products was also carried out by statistically comparing the slopes of standard calibration curve with matrix-matched calibration curve for each of the four toxins and the eight matrices tested. For seven of the eight matrices tested, statistically significant matrix effects were observed, indicating that, for accurate quantitative analysis, matrix-matched calibration was necessary. The method was applied to the analysis of 57 samples of ground wheat originated from South Italy and nine cereal food samples collected from retail markets.     

Deoxynivalenol and other Fusarium toxins in wheat and rye flours on the Danish market

Information on the contamination of Danish cereals and cereal products with Fusarium toxins is limited and the last survey is from 1984/1985. In the present study, the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin and zearalenone (ZON) was investigated in flour of common wheat, durum wheat and rye. The samples were collected from 1998 to 2001 from both mills and the retail market in Denmark. A total of 190 flour samples were analysed for DON and NIV and about 60 samples for HT-2, T-2 toxin and ZON. DON was most frequently detected with an incidence rate of 78% over all samples for all years. The contamination level varied considerably from year to year, and for wheat and rye the highest incidence and DON concentrations were found in samples from the 1998 harvest. There were regular and heavy rainfalls in Denmark during the flowering period of the crops that year, and DON was found in all samples, with mean concentrations in wheat and rye flour of 191 μg kg^-1 (n =14) and 99 μg kg^-1 (n =16), respectively. Comparison of data from each harvest year showed higher contents of DON in samples of wheat (range 20-527 μg kg^-1) than in rye (20-257 μg kg^-1). Contents of NIV, HT-2 toxin and ZON in samples of wheat and rye were generally low, and even in positive samples the contents were close to the detection limit of the methods. The T-2 toxin was detected in only a few of the wheat samples and in low amounts. However, the toxin was found in about 50% of the rye samples collected during 1998-2000, with a mean content of 49 μg kg^-1 (n =25). Durum wheat flour showed the highest DON contamination level, and all samples (n =33) collected during 2000 and 2001 contained DON with means and medians above 1100 μg kg^-1. Over 70% of the samples contained more than 500 μg kg^-1 DON, and the highest observed concentration was 2591 μg kg^-1. The concentration of T-2 toxin in durum wheat flour was also high with five of the 10 analysed samples containing more than 100 g kg^-1.     

Validation of a gas chromatography-electron capture detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in Chinese herbal medicines and related products after immunoaffinity column clean-up and pre-column derivatization

A sensitive, reproducible and accurate gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) method was developed for simultaneous determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) and related products after immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up and pre-column derivatization with N-heptafluoro-butyryl imidazole (HFBI). Then, gas chromatography-spectrometry spectrometer (GC-MS) was applied to confirm the positive results and interfering peaks. The limits of detection (LODs) for T-2 and HT-2 toxins were 1.88 and 0.47 ng/g, and the recoveries for different CHMs ranged from 89.2% to 99.1% with relative standard deviation (RSD) <6.0% for T-2 and from 85.9% to 99.0% with RSD <8.8% for HT-2 toxin, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied for the determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in 89 Chinese herbal medicines and 10 related products from various sources, where it was found that T-2 and HT-2 toxins were not detected in any of the tested samples. These results were reliable by confirmation using GC-MS. Some unknown peaks were interfering peaks not the target toxins.     

Natural occurrence of Fusarium toxins in oats harvested during five years in an area of southwest Germany.

A total of 56, 56, 54, 51, and 55 oats samples used for feed production were collected randomly after the 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 crops, respectively, from farms located in an area of southwest Germany. Deoxynivalenol (DON), 3- and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-, 15-ADON), nivalenol (NIV), fusarenon-X (FUS-X), T-2 toxin (T-2), HT-2 toxin (HT-2) and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) were determined by gas chromatography with mass selective detection (GC-MS), zearalenone (ZEA), alpha and beta-zearalenol (alpha-, beta-ZOL) by GC-MS or by HPLC. DON was the major toxin with incidences at 49-85% and mean levels in positive samples of 52-302 micrograms/kg. Incidences of ZEA, 3-ADON, NIV, HT-2, and T-2 were at 20-37, 0-30, 18-67, 0-29, and 27-61%, respectively, with mean levels in positive samples at 8-25, 5-63, 11-192, 205-296, and 20-244 micrograms/kg, respectively. alpha- and beta-ZOL and DAS were not detected in any sample. 15-ADON and FUS-X were assayed in samples from 1987, 1991 and 1992. 15-ADON was detected in 9, 4 and 0% of samples, with an average of 9 and 18 micrograms/kg, respectively; FUS-X was not detected. The incidence and levels of toxins varied from year to year. The correlation between the occurrence of toxins and precipitation is discussed.     

Development of a sensitive monoclonal-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for monitoring T-2 toxin in food and feed

The consumption of food or feed contaminated with high levels of T-2 toxin may cause adverse health effects in humans and other animals. In this study, to monitor T-2 toxin rapidly in food and feed, a sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) against T-2 toxin was generated and a simple and rapid indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) developed. T-2 toxin was first converted to T-2-hemisuccinate (T-2HS) and T-2-hemiglutarate (T-2HG), which were then conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) to prepare an immunogen and coating antigen, respectively. After the inoculation of female Balb/c mice and cell fusions, one cell line, 4D8, with the IgG1 isotype was obtained. The 4D8 antibody exhibited the ability specifically to recognise T-2 toxin with IC₅₀ 1.46 µg l^?1. Based on this 4D8 mAb, an optimised ic-ELISA protocol was developed using only methanol–water (7:3, v/v) in feed and cereal samples and ethyl acetate in muscle samples. The limits of detection of T-2 toxin in various sample matrices varied from 0.07 to 15.8 µg kg^?1; the recoveries ranged from 50.3% to 113.6%; and the CVs were less than 19.0%. These results suggest that the prepared mAb and the developed ic-ELISA method will be a useful tool for detecting T-2 toxin in foods and feeds.     

Occurrence of Fusarium species and trichothecenes in Nigerian maize

A total of 180 maize samples meant for human consumption from four maize-producing states of southwestern Nigeria were screened for twelve major Fusarium mycotoxins (trichothecenes). Mycological examination of the samples showed that Fusarium verticillioides was the most commonly isolated fungi (71%), followed by F. sporotrichioides (64%), F. graminearum (32%), F. pallidoroseum (15%), F. compactum (12%), F. equiseti (9%), F. acuminatum (8%), F. subglutinans (4%) and F. oxysporum (1%). The trichothecenes include deoxynivalenol (DON), 3, mono-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-AcDON), 15, mono-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-AcDON), nivalenol (NIV), HT-2 toxin (HT-2), neosolaniol (NEO), T-2 toxin (T-2), T-2 tetraol and T-2 triol, diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), MAS-monoacetoxyscirpenol (MAS) and fusarenone-X. Quantification was by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (HPLC/MS); the detection limits for each of the mycotoxins varied between 20 and 200 microg kg(-1). Sixty six samples (36.3%) were contaminated with trichothecenes, DON (mean: 226.2 microg kg(-1); range: 9.6-745.1 microg kg(-1)), 3-AcDON (mean: 17.3 microg kg(-1); range: 0.7-72.4 microg kg(-1)) and DAS (mean: 16.0 microg kg(-1); range: 1.0-51.0 microg kg(-1)) were detected in 22%, 17% and 9% of total samples respectively. There were no 15-AcDON, NIV, HT-2, NEO, T-2, T-2 tetraol, T-2 triol, MAS and fusarenone-X detected. This is the first comprehensive report about the natural occurrence of DON, AcDON and DAS in maize for direct human consumption in Nigeria.     

Incidence of patulin in apple juices marketed in Turkey.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the patulin contamination of apple juices consumed by the Turkish population. Patulin was detected using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a UV detector at 280 nm, and the identification of patulin was further confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Using HPLC, the recoveries were 79.9 +/- 6.7% and 83.7 +/- 4.6%, and the coefficients of variation were 8.4 and 5.5% for apple juices spiked with the known amounts of patulin (60 and 120 microg/liter. respectively). The minimum patulin level detected was 5 ng in a standard solution and 5 microg/liter in apple juices. The TLC method was used only to confirm patulin levels higher than 20 microg/liter (100 ng/spot) in apple juices. The total number of samples was 45. Patulin was present in detectable levels in 60% of apple juices at concentrations ranging from 19.1 to 732.8 microg/liter. Forty-four percent of the apple juice samples had patulin contamination levels higher than 50 microg/ liter, which is the allowable upper limit in Turkey.     

A survey on the occurrence of Fusarium mycotoxins in Bavarian cereals from the 1987 harvest

Bavarian cereals and wheat flour from the 1987 harvest were analysed for nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON) using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and for T-2 toxin and zearalenone (ZEA) by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The study included 190 field samples of wheat, barley, rye and oat with visibly damaged ears, 45 samples of wheat intended for feed production and two series of wheat flour (type 550) and whole wheat flour collected in October 1987 and June 1988. The field samples examined showed a high DON contamination of wheat (87%) with an average of 3.96 mg/kg and a maximum of 43.8 mg/kg. Mean levels between 0.33 mg/kg and 0.27 mg/kg DON could be detected in barley, rye and oat. Of the wheat samples, 58% contained ZEA with a maximum of 1.560 mg/kg. The highest levels of ZEA were detected in samples which also showed high concentrations of DON. The NIV and T-2 toxin levels were comparatively low. Thirty percent of the samples showed NIV concentrations between 0.04 mg/kg and 0.29 mg/kg and 38% contained between 0.005 and 0.60 mg/kg of T-2. In the wheat samples for feed production, only DON was detected with an average of 0.190 mg/kg and a maximum of 0.75 mg/kg. The highest DON levels (0.58 mg/kg) from October 1987 were found in the wheat flour samples which were lower than the highest DON concentration (3.24 mg/kg) detected in the samples collected during June 1988. This fact was probably due to a substantial amount of non-contaminated wheat from 1986. The toxin concentrations in the whole wheat flour were not higher than in the type 550 flour.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mycotoxins in infant/toddler foods and breakfast cereals in the US retail market

The objective of this study was to conduct a mycotoxin survey of commercial infant/toddler foods (cereals and teething biscuits) and breakfast cereals in the United States. A total of 215 retail samples were collected from three geographical locations and analysed for aflatoxins, fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, HT-2 toxin, ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin, and zearalenone using a stable isotope dilution liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. One or more mycotoxins were found in 69% (101/147) of the infant/toddler foods and 50% (34/68) of breakfast cereals. Mycotoxin co-occurrence was observed in 12% of infant/toddler foods and 32% of breakfast cereals. However, the concentrations of detected mycotoxins were lower than the current FDA action and guidance levels. Aflatoxins and HT-2 toxin were not detected in any of the samples, while deoxynivalenol was the most frequently detected mycotoxin. Rice-based cereals appeared to be less susceptible to mycotoxin contamination than other cereal types.