Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by different types of fungi. The presence of mycotoxins in food and feed may affect human and animal health as they may cause many different adverse health effects such as induction of cancer and mutagenicity. The European legislation for mycotoxins in food and feed consists of two main regulations: The Commission Regulation 1881/2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs, and the most recent mycotoxin related update by Commission Regulation 1058/2012 setting maximum residue limits for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, patulin, deoxynivalenol, zearelenone, fumonisins, T2 and HT2 toxin in a variety of different products. Mycotoxins are not destroyed by temperature treatment, and are barely influenced by cooking, freezing or digestion. These properties make the investigation and quantitation of mycotoxins in food very important. Shimadzu is offering a mycotoxin screening system by using the i-Series Plus built-in PDA detector with an RF-20Axs fluorescence detector and an LC-MS/MS Method Package for mycotoxin analysis with the highest sensitivity and resolution.
Multi-Residue Analysis of 18 Regulated Mycotoxins by LC-MS/MS
An LC-MS/MS method has been developed for the detection of 18 regulated mycotoxins according to the European legislation. In order to optimize the method ammonium fluoride solution and ammonium fluoride with acetic acid solution was the preferred solvent as it resulted in a considerable enhancement of signal intensity in positive ion mode for all mycotoxins.
Investigation of mycotoxins in different beers with several clean-up techniques using the Mycotoxin Screening System
The Shimadzu “Mycotoxin Screening System” is used for the simultaneous analysis of 7 mycotoxins in beer. AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, OTA, DON and NIV which are most commonly tested in malt products were extracted and analyzed in spiked and non-spiked beer samples. The sample preparation technique as well as the measurement were proven to be easy and fast. The beer samples analyzed contained mycotoxin concentrations below the EU regulations. The system offers a fast, safe and easy method for the analysis of mycotoxins in beverages such as beer.
Analysis of Mycotoxins in Grain Using Mycotoxin Screening System
The Mycotoxin screening system comprises a compact and easy to use integrated i-Series HPLC system together with analysis methods including sample pretreatment methods. The system comes ready to use and capable of data acquisition and analysis, including columns and method files designed for mycotoxin analysis. Further details about the analysis of milled grains after pretreatment are explained in the application News: