Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup with Liquid Chromatography Using Post-Column Bromination for Determination of Aflatoxin B1 in Cattle Feed: Collaborative Study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography (LC) method for determination of aflatoxin B1 in cattle feed at a possible future European regulatory limit (1 ng/g). The test portion was extracted with acetone–water (85 + 15), filtered, diluted with water, and applied to an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with water to remove interfering compounds, and the purified aflatoxin B1 was eluted with methanol. Aflatoxin B1 was separated and determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP–LC) and detected by fluorescence after post column derivatization (PCD) involving bromination. PCD was achieved with either pyridinium hydrobromide perbromide (PBPB), used by 14 laboratories, or an electrochemical cell and addition of bromide to the mobile phase, used by 7 laboratories. Both derivatization techniques were not significantly different when compared by the t-test; the method was statistically evaluated for all laboratories together (bromination and PBPB). The cattle feed samples, both spiked and naturally contaminatedwithaflatoxinB1, were sent to 21 laboratories in 14 different countries (United States, Japan, and Europe). Test portions were spiked at levels of 1.2 and 3.6 ng/g for aflatoxin B1. Recoveries ranged from 74 to 157%. Based on results for spiked samples (blind pairs at 2 levels) as well as naturally con-taminated samples (blind pairs at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 5.9 to 8.7%. The relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 17.5 to 19.6%. The method showed acceptable within-and between-laboratory precision for this matrix, as evidenced by HORRAT values, at the target levels of determination for aflatoxin B1. No major differences in RSD were observed, showing that the composition of the feeds was not a factor for the samples tested and that the method was applicable for all materials used.

Determination of aflatoxin B1 in baby food (infant formula) by immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography with postcolumn bromination: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography (LC) method for determination of aflatoxin B, in a milk powder based infant formula at a possible future European regulatory limit (0.1 ng/g). The test portion was extracted with methanol-water (8 + 2 [v + v]), filtered, diluted with water, and applied to an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with water to remove interfering compounds, and the purified aflatoxin B1 was eluted with methanol. The separation and determination of the aflatoxin B1 was performed by reversed-phase LC and detected by fluorescence after postcolumn derivatization (PCD) involving bromination. PCD was achieved with either pyridinum hydrobromide perbromide (PBPB) or an electrochemical (Kobra) cell by addition of bromide to the mobile phase. The baby food (infant formula) test samples, both spiked and naturally contaminated with aflatoxin B1, were sent to 14 laboratories in 13 different European countries. Test portions were spiked at levels of 0.1 and 0.2 ng/g for aflatoxin B1. Recoveries ranged from 101 to 92%. Based on results for spiked test samples (blind pairs at 2 levels) and naturally contaminated test samples (blind pairs at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 3.5 to 14%. The relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 9 to 23%. Nine participants used PBPB derivatization, and

Investigation of various extractants for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 in different food and feed matrices

Various extractants were investigated concerning their suitability for aflatoxin B1 determinations in different matrices including spices, infant formula and animal feed employing an immunoaffinity clean-up procedure. It was shown that the use of aqueous acetonitrile extractants was limited due to the fact that dry sample material can absorb significant amounts of water from the extractant. This can result in recoveries that are too high and therefore in incorrect values for the aflatoxin concentration if aliquots are taken for further analysis. A correction of the results by recovery calculation using spiked blank material is unsuitable, since material from the same group of food (e.g. paprika powder) or feed can vary significantly in the recovery values. Therefore it is recommended that aqueous methanol extractants are used, since no significant interaction with matrix constituents was observed. In addition, aqueous acetone extractants are a useful alternative with some limitations.