Major ergot alkaloids in naturally contaminated cool-season barley grain grown under a cold climate condition in western Canada, explored with near-infrared (NIR) and fourier transform mid-infrared (ATR-FT/MIR) spectroscopy

The C-8-S-isomers of ergot alkaloids - a review of biological and analytical aspects

Ergot alkaloids are secondary metabolites that are produced by fungi and contaminate cereal crops and grasses. The ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps purpurea are the most abundant worldwide. The metabolites exist in two configurations, the C-8-R-isomer (R-epimer) and the C-8-S-isomer (S-epimer). These two configurations can interconvert to one another. Ergot alkaloids cause toxic effects after consumption of ergot-contaminated food and feed at various concentrations. For bioactivity reasons, the C-8-R-isomers have been studied to a greater extent than the C-8-S-isomer since the C-8-S-isomers were considered biologically inactive. However, recent studies suggest the contrary. Analytical assessment of ergot alkaloids now includes the C-8-S-isomers and high concentrations of specific C-8-S-isomers have been identified. The inclusion of the C-8-S-isomer in regulatory standards is reviewed. This review has identified that further research into the C-8-S-isomers of ergot alkaloids is warranted. In addition, the inclusion of the C-8-S-isomers into regulatory recommendations worldwide for food and feed should be implemented. The objectives of this review are to provide an overview of historic and current studies that have assessed the C-8-S-isomers. Specifically, this review will compare the C-8-R-isomers to the C-8-S-isomers with an emphasis on the biological activity and analytical assessment.

Investigation of Spectroscopic Peculiarities of Ergot-Infected Winter Wheat Grains

Wheat has played an important role in human agriculture since ancient times. Increasing rates of processed wheat product fabrication require more and more laboratory studies of product quality. This, in turn, requires the use, in production and in field conditions, of sufficiently accurate, fast and relatively low-cost quality control methods, including the detection of fungal diseases. One of the most widespread fungal diseases of wheat in the world is ergot caused by the fungi genus Claviceps. Optical methods are promising for this disease identification due to the relative ease of implementation and the possibility of performing fast analyses in large volumes. However, for application in practice, it is necessary to identify and substantiate characteristic spectral markers that make it possible to judge the sample contamination. In this regard, within the framework of this study, the methods of IR absorption spectroscopy in the MIR region and reflection spectroscopy in the UV-vis-NIR ranges, as well as luminescence spectroscopy, were used to study ergot-infected grains of winter wheat of the "Moskovskaya 56" cultivar. To justify the choice of the most specific spectral ranges, the methods of chemometric analysis with supervised classification, namely PCA-LDA and PCA-SVM, were applied. The possibility of separating infected grains according to the IR absorption, reflection spectra in the UV-vis-NIR ranges and visible luminescence spectra was tested.

Using Molecular Spectroscopic Techniques (NIR and ATR-FT/MIR) Coupling with Various Chemometrics to Test Possibility to Reveal Chemical and Molecular Response of Cool-Season Adapted Wheat Grain to Ergot Alkaloids

The objectives of this study were to explore the possibility of using near infrared (NIR) and Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FT/MIR) molecular spectroscopic techniques as non-invasive and rapid methods for the quantification of six major ergot alkaloids (EAs) in cool-season wheat. In total, 107 wheat grain samples were collected, and the concentration of six major EAs was analyzed using the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique. The mean content of the total EAs-ergotamine, ergosine, ergometrine, ergocryptine, ergocristine, and ergocornine-was 1099.3, 337.5, 56.9, 150.6, 142.1, 743.3, and 97.45 μg/kg, respectively. The NIR spectra were taken from 680 to 2500 nm, and the MIR spectra were recorded from 4000-700 cm-1. The spectral data were transformed by various preprocessing techniques (which included: FD: first derivative; SNV: standard normal variate; FD-SNV: first derivative + SNV; MSC: multiplicative scattering correction; SNV-Detrending: SNV + detrending; SD-SNV: second derivative + SNV; SNV-SD: SNV + first derivative); and sensitive wavelengths were selected. The partial least squares (PLS) regression models were developed for EA validation statistics. Results showed that the constructed models obtained weak calibration and cross-validation parameters, and none of the models was able to accurately predict external samples. The relatively low levels of EAs in the contaminated wheat samples might be lower than the detection limits of the NIR and ATR-FT/MIR spectroscopies. More research is needed to determine the limitations of the ATR-FT/MIR and NIR techniques for quantifying EAs in various sample matrices and to develop acceptable models.

Comprehensive review on patulin and Alternaria toxins in fruit and derived products

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain fungi, which can contaminate various food commodities, including fruits and their derived products. Patulin and Alternaria toxins are among the most commonly encountered mycotoxins in fruit and their derived products. In this review, the sources, toxicity, and regulations related to these mycotoxins, as well as their detection and mitigation strategies are widely discussed. Patulin is a mycotoxin produced mainly by the fungal genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssochlamys. Alternaria toxins, produced by fungi in the Alternaria genus, are another common group of mycotoxins found in fruits and fruit products. The most prevalent Alternaria toxins are alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME). These mycotoxins are of concern due to their potential negative effects on human health. Ingesting fruits contaminated with these mycotoxins can cause acute and chronic health problems. Detection of patulin and Alternaria toxins in fruit and their derived products can be challenging due to their low concentrations and the complexity of the food matrices. Common analytical methods, good agricultural practices, and contamination monitoring of these mycotoxins are important for safe consumption of fruits and derived products. And Future research will continue to explore new methods for detecting and managing these mycotoxins, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the safety and quality of fruits and derived product supply.

The potential and applicability of infrared spectroscopic methods for the rapid screening and routine analysis of mycotoxins in food crops

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is increasingly being used to analyze food crops for quality and safety purposes in a rapid, nondestructive, and eco-friendly manner. The lack of sensitivity and the overlapping absorption characteristics of major sample matrix components, however, often prevent the direct determination of food contaminants at trace levels. By measuring fungal-induced matrix changes with near IR and mid IR spectroscopy as well as hyperspectral imaging, the indirect determination of mycotoxins in food crops has been realized. Recent studies underline that such IR spectroscopic platforms have great potential for the rapid analysis of mycotoxins along the food and feed supply chain. However, there are no published reports on the validation of IR methods according to official regulations, and those publications that demonstrate their applicability in a routine analytical set-up are scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to discuss the current state-of-the-art and the potential of IR spectroscopic methods for the rapid determination of mycotoxins in food crops. The study critically reflects on the applicability and limitations of IR spectroscopy in routine analysis and provides guidance to non-spectroscopists from the food and feed sector considering implementation of IR spectroscopy for rapid mycotoxin screening. Finally, an outlook on trends, possible fields of applications, and different ways of implementation in the food and feed safety area are discussed.

Indirect Measurement of β-Glucan Content in Barley Grain with Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

β-Glucan is a component of barley grains with functional properties that make it useful for human consumption. Cultivars with high grain β-glucan are required for industrial processing. Breeding for barley genotypes with higher β-glucan content requires a high-throughput method to assess β-glucan quickly and cheaply. Wet-chemistry laboratory procedures are low-throughput and expensive, but indirect measurement methods such as near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) match the breeding requirements (once the NIR spectrometer is available). A predictive model for the indirect measurement of β-glucan content in ground barley grains with NIRS was therefore developed using 248 samples with a wide range of β-glucan contents (3.4%–17.6%). To develop such calibration, 198 unique samples were used for training and 50 for validation. The predictive model had R² = 0.990, bias = 0.013% and RMSEP = 0.327% for validation. NIRS was confirmed to be a very useful technique for indirect measurement of β-glucan content and evaluation of high-β-glucan barleys.

Validation of a New Sensitive Method for the Detection and Quantification of R and S-Epimers of Ergot Alkaloids in Canadian Spring Wheat Utilizing Deuterated Lysergic Acid Diethylamide as an Internal Standard

Ergot sclerotia effect cereal crops intended for consumption. Ergot alkaloids within ergot sclerotia are assessed to ensure contamination is below safety standards established for human and animal health. Ergot alkaloids exist in two configurations, the R and S-epimers. It is important to quantify both configurations. The objective of this study was to validate a new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for quantification of six R and six S-epimers of ergot alkaloids in hard red spring wheat utilizing deuterated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-D3) as an internal standard. Validation parameters such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), matrix effects, recovery and precision were investigated. For the 12 epimers analyzed, low LOD and LOQ values were observed, allowing for the sensitive detection of ergot epimers. Matrix effects ranged between 101-113% in a representative wheat matrix. Recovery was 68.3-119.1% with an inter-day precision of <24% relative standard deviation (RSD). The validation parameters conform with previous studies and exhibit differences between the R and S-epimers which has been rarely documented. This new sensitive method allows for the use of a new internal standard and can be incorporated and applied to research or diagnostic laboratories.

Undertaking a New Regulatory Challenge: Monitoring of Ergot Alkaloids in Italian Food Commodities

The present manuscript reports on monitoring data of 12 ergot alkaloids (EAs) in cereal and cereal-derived products, collected in Italy over the period 2017-2020, for official control purposes under the edge of the Commission Recommendation 2012/154/EU on the monitoring of the presence of EAs in feed and food. To these purposes, an LC-MS/MS method was set up and applied, after in-house verification of its analytical performance. Besides satisfactory recoveries and precision, the method's quantification limits proved suitable to assess the compliance of cereals and cereal-based foods with the recently issued EU maximum permitted levels (Commission Regulation 2021/1399/EU). The validity of the generated data was also evaluated through the adoption of four proficiency tests, from which acceptable z-score values (-2 ≤ z ≤ 2) were obtained. The method was then applied to analyse a total of 67 samples, collected in Italy over the period 2017-2020. The samples consisted of 18 cereal grains, 16 flours (14 of wheat and 2 of spelt) and 31 other types of cereals derivatives (including 9 for infants). Overall, the EAs analysis returned a high percentage of left-censored data (>86%). Among the positive samples, the highest contamination levels, up to 94.2 µg/kg, were found for ergocristine (12% incidence), followed by ergocristinine (7% incidence) with levels of up to 48.3 µg/kg.

Determination of principal ergot alkaloids in swine feeding

BACKGROUND

Ergot alkaloids are secondary metabolites produced by fungi in the genus Claviceps. They contaminate a large variety of cereals, such as rye, triticale, wheat and barley. The ingestion of contaminated cereals might cause adverse health effects in humans and animals. In fact, pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry are involved in sporadic outbreaks and, although there are several studies about occurrence of ergot alkaloids in grain cereals, there are scarce studies focused on compound feed.

RESULTS

Twelve ergot alkaloids have been quantified in 228 feed samples intended for swine. The analytes were extracted using QuEChERS with Z-Sep+ as sorbent in the clean-up step, which reduced the matrix effect, allowing limits of quantification between 2.1 and 21.7 μg kg^-1 . The analytes were subsequently quantified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). A total of 29 samples (12.7%) revealed contamination by at least one ergot alkaloid, and among contaminated samples, 65% were contaminated by more than one. Only 6 of 12 target ergot alkaloids showed concentrations above the limit of quantification. The concentrations for individual ergot alkaloids ranged between 5.9 μg kg^-1 for ergosinine to 145.3 μg kg^-1 for ergometrine (the predominant ergot alkaloid), while the total ergot alkaloid content ranged from 5.9 to 158.7 μg kg^-1 .

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of ergot alkaloids in feed samples in Spain seems to be lower than in other regions of Europe. All the samples fulfilled current recommendations of the feed industry about practical limits for ergot alkaloids in pig feeds. This suggests that the feeds are safe for pig consumption, regarding the presence of ergot alkaloids. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Rapid quantitative detection of the discrepant compounds in differently processed Curcumae Rhizoma products by FT-NIR combined with VCPA-GA technology

Curcumae Rhizoma (CR) and vinegar processed Curcumae Rhizoma (PCR) are common medicinal materials widely used in clinical practice in China. There are sliced CR (SCR) and two kinds of PCR products which are processed by different methods: WPCR-prepared with the whole CR root boiled in vinegar and then sliced, and SPCR-prepared with the whole CR root steamed and sliced before boiled with vinegar. In this study, the feasibility of Fourier transform near infrared spectrum (FT-NIR) used to determine the main discrepant components of SCR, WPCR and SPCR were investigated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identified five discrepant compounds in the three kinds of CR products-curzerene, curcumenol, curdione, furanodienone and demethoxycurin. Pretreatment of NIR qualitative data by different methods revealed that the second derivative in combination with 9 points of Savitzky-Golay smooth (2D9S) could accurately distinguish SCR, SPCR and WPCR from each other, and the discrimination ability was improved significantly by wavebands selection. Then a model with great accuracy was established by combining with wavebands selection and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Compared with the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) selection method, 2D9S- variable combination population analysis (VCPA)-Genetic algorithm (GA)-PLSR model was evidently more accurate in prediction of the content of curzerene, curcumenol, curdione and furanodienone, with an R2p of 0.9558, 0.9129, 0.9098 and 0.9350, as well as a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 4.8454, 3.4640, 3.3020 and 4.0082, respectively. Whereas, the content of demethoxycurin failed to be well predicted. The correlation analysis revealed that the results of wavebands selection were consistent with the trend of changes in the content of these target compounds and the findings of NIR absorption analysis, and the characteristic chemical bonds of these compounds corresponded to the areas with significant correlation in the heat map. It can be concluded that the NIR system, combined with appropriate variable selection and linear regression method, can precisely distinguish SCR, SPCR and WPCR from each other, and can accurately and rapidly determine the four discrepant compounds in the three CR products, suggesting a potential of being routinely used for a more diversified analysis in medicinal herbs study.

NIR spectroscopy and chemometric tools to identify high content of deoxynivalenol in barley

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the mycotoxins produced mainly by the Fusarium graminearum species complex in small grain cereals, including barley. This toxin can cause alimentary disorders, immune function depression and gastroenteritis. The negative health effects associated with DON coupled to the increasing concern about green and rapid methods of analysis motivated this study. In this context, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy data were applied for exploratory analysis to distinguish barley with high and low levels of DON contamination (> or <1250 µg/kg according to the European Union threshold), by Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), and to verify the performance of Partial Least Squares-Regression (PLS-R) to predict DON concentration in barley samples. Maximum values of specificity and sensitivity were achieved in the calibration set; 90.9% and 81.9% were observed in the cross-validation set for the PLS-DA classification model. PLS-R quantification of DON in barley presented low values of error (RMSEC = 101.94 µg/kg and RMSEP = 160.76 µg/kg). Thus, we found that NIR in combination with adequate chemometric tools could be applied as a green technique to monitor DON contamination in barley.

Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019

This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.

Developments in mycotoxin analysis: an update for 2018-19

This review summarises developments on the analysis of various matrices for mycotoxins that have been published in the period from mid-2018 to mid-2019. Analytical methods to determine aflatoxins, Alternaria toxins, ergot alkaloids, fumonisins, ochratoxins, patulin, trichothecenes, and zearalenone are covered in individual sections. Advances in sampling strategies are also discussed in a dedicated section. In addition, developments in multi-mycotoxin methods – including comprehensive mass spectrometric-based methods as well as simple immunoassays – are also reviewed. This critical review aims to briefly present the most important recent developments and trends in mycotoxin determination as well as to address limitations of the presented methodologies.

Advances in Occurrence, Importance, and Mycotoxin Control Strategies: Prevention and Detoxification in Foods

Mycotoxins are toxic substances that can infect many foods with carcinogenic, genotoxic, teratogenic, nephrotoxic, and hepatotoxic effects. Mycotoxin contamination of foodstuffs causes diseases worldwide. The major classes of mycotoxins that are of the greatest agroeconomic importance are aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, emerging Fusarium mycotoxins, enniatins, ergot alkaloids, Alternaria toxins, and patulin. Thus, in order to mitigate mycotoxin contamination of foods, many control approaches are used. Prevention, detoxification, and decontamination of mycotoxins can contribute in this purpose in the pre-harvest and post-harvest stages. Therefore, the purpose of the review is to elaborate on the recent advances regarding the occurrence of main mycotoxins in many types of important agricultural products, as well as the methods of inactivation and detoxification of foods from mycotoxins in order to reduce or fully eliminate them.