Ergot alkaloids in rye flour determined by solid-phase cation-exchange and high-pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that are undesirable contaminants of cereal products, particularly rye. A method was developed employing clean-up by cation-exchange solid-phase extraction, separation by high-performance liquid chromatography under alkaline conditions and fluorescence detection. It is capable of separating and quantifying both C8-isomers of ergocornine, α-ergocryptine, ergocristine, ergonovine, and ergotamine. The average recovery was 61% ±?10% with limits of detection from 0.2 to 1.1 µg kg^?1. Twenty-four unknown rye flour samples from Danish mills contained on average 46 µg kg^?1 with a maximum content of 234 µg kg^?1. The most common ergot alkaloids were ergotamine and α-ergocryptine including their C8-isomers. A total of 54% of the ergot alkaloids were detected as C(8)-S isomers.