Determination of some mycotoxins in foods by ultra high performance liquid chromatography method

In this study, fast and sensitive ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methods have been developed and validated for the determination of important mycotoxins including Ochratoxin A (OTA), Zearalenon (ZEA), Citrinin (CIT) and Citreoviridin (CTV). A variety of cereals and their derivatives were selected from the food samples. OTA, CIT and ZEA were detected simultaneously on a biphenyl (2.1 mm × 150 mm × 2.6 μm) column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile: water (45:55 v/v; pH:2.2) containing phosphoric acid by fluorescence detector at values of λex:330 nm, λem:500 nm (OTA and CIT) and λex:236 nm, λem:440 nm (ZEA). Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of the developed UHPLC-FLD method for OTA, CIT and ZEA were found as 0.24 µg/kg and 0.71 µg/kg for OTA, 0.64 µg/kg and 1.97 µg/kg for CIT, and 1.28 µg/kg and 3.90 µg/kg for ZEA, respectively. A mobile phase of acetonitrile: water: formic acid (55: 45: 0.1 v/v/v) with a C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm × 1.8 μm) was used for CTV and determined at wavelengths of λex: 220 nm, λem: 340 nm by fluorescence detector. The LOD and LOQ values of the UHPLC-FLD method developed for CTV in foods were found to be 0.41 and 1.25 µg/kg, respectively. As a result, a fast, selective and sensitive UHPLC-FLD methods have been successfully developed for the determination of mycotoxins of OTA, CIT, ZEA and CTV in food.