Determination of ochratoxin A in beer by LC–MS/MS ion trap detection

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium verrucosum. It was analysed in food and beverages so far. Due to its toxicity, the European community issued directives and some countries own regulations for OTA contents in food, feed, and beverages. This work describes a method for the determination of OTA in beer. It is based on a combined anion exchange/reversed phase clean-up and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. This method was compared with a modified standard method and validated on the basis of spiked beer samples. The accuracy was checked with statistical tools (t-test). Due to its good reproducibility, repeatability and robustness this method is a promising alternative to LC–FD (fluorescence detection) techniques.