Adaptation, optimization, and validation of a sensitive and robust method for the quantification of total aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) in the spice merkén by HPLC-FLD with post-column derivatization

Is chemical analysis suitable for detecting mycotoxins in agricultural commodities and foodstuffs?

The assessment of the risks of mycotoxins to humans through consuming contaminated foods resulted in specific legislation that evaluates the presence, quantities, and type of mycotoxins in agricultural commodities and foodstuffs. Thus, to ensure compliance with legislation, food safety and consumer health, the development of suitable analytical procedures for identifying and quantifying mycotoxins in the free or modified form, in low-concentration and in complex samples is necessary. This review reports the application of the modern chemical methods of analysis employed in mycotoxin detection in agricultural commodities and foodstuffs. It is reported extraction methods with reasonable accuracy and those present characteristics according to guidelines of Green Analytical Chemistry. Recent trends in mycotoxins detection using analytical techniques are presented and discussed, evaluating the robustness, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and selectivity in the detection of different classes of mycotoxins. Sensitivity coming from modern chromatographic techniques allows the detection of very low concentrations of mycotoxins in complex samples. However, it is essential the development of more green, fast and more suitable accuracy extraction methods for mycotoxins, which agricultural commodities producers could use. Despite the high number of research reporting the use of chemically modified voltammetric sensors, mycotoxins detection still has limitations due to the low selectivity from similar chemical structures of mycotoxins. Furthermore, spectroscopic techniques are rarely employed due to the limited number of reference standards for calibration procedures.

Simultaneous Detection of Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxins in Industrial and Traditional Red and isot Pepper Flakes along with Dietary Exposure Risk Assessment

This study focused on the co-occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in traditionally and industrially dried red pepper flakes (DRPFs) and isot pepper flakes (IPFs). Following the multitoxin immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) was used to quantify AFs and OTA. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values were 0.11 and 0.18 μg kg-1 (AFB1), 0.04 and 0.08 μg kg-1 (AFB2), 0.13 and 0.18 μg kg-1 (AFG1), 0.04 and 0.11 μg kg-1 (AFG2), and 0.10 and 0.21 μg kg-1 (OTA), respectively. AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and OTA were found to be positive in 93, 74, 17, and 94% of all samples, respectively. The contamination levels in positive samples ranged from 0.23 to 38.69, 0.04 to 2.14, 0.13 to 0.88, and 0.18 to 52.19 μg kg-1 for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and OTA, respectively, while no AFG2 was found above the detection limit (0.04 μg kg-1). None of the industrial isot peppers exceeded the European Union limits, while the levels of AFB1 (5 μg kg-1), total AFs (10 μg kg-1), and OTA (20 μg kg-1) of the traditional peppers were above the limit by 30% (16/54), 26% (14/54), and 4% (2/54), respectively. Co-occurrence of AFB1-AFB2-OTA was the most frequent, accounting for 54% (29/54) of all samples. At the upper bound (UB), estimated average exposure to AFB1, total AFs, and OTA was determined to be 0.175, 0.189, and 0.124 ng kg-1 bw day-1 in all samples, respectively. The margin of exposure (MoE) value of AFB1 and total AFs was found to be 977 and 909, indicating high health concerns compared to OTA (MoE >10,000). AFB1 and total AFs may result in 0.0058 and 0.0062 liver cancer cases/100,000 person/year at UB, respectively, and weekly OTA exposure was 0.868 ng kg-1 bw, well below the provisional tolerable weekly intake, hence not of health concern. AFs exposure could endanger health, whereas OTA posed no toxicological concerns through dried red pepper consumption.