Determination of mycotoxins in plant-based beverages using QuEChERS and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

• Published in: Food chemistry 2017-08, Vol.229, p.366-372
• Main Authors: Miró-Abella, Eugènia, Herrero, Pol, Canela, Núria, Arola, Lluís, Borrull, Francesc, Ras, Rosa, Fontanals, Núria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beverages - analysis; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Mycotoxin; Mycotoxins - analysis; Mycotoxins - chemistry; Plant-based beverages; QuEChERS; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; UHPLC–(ESI)MS/MS
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.02.078

•Mycotoxins are determined using QuEChERS followed by LC–MS/MS.•The method is applied for the first time to analyse different plant-based beverages.•Recovery and matrix effect are similar among the different type of samples analysed.•Some mycotoxins are found in oat, soy and rice beverages. A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 11 mycotoxins in plant-based beverage matrices, using a QuEChERS extraction followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry detection (UHPLC–(ESI)MS/MS). This multi-mycotoxin method was applied to analyse plant-based beverages such as soy, oat and rice. QuEChERS extraction was applied obtaining suitable extraction recoveries between 80 and 91%, and good repeatability and reproducibility values. Method Quantification Limits were between 0.05μgL−1 (for aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin B1) and 15μgL−1 (for deoxynivalenol and fumonisin B2). This is the first time that plant-based beverages have been analysed, and certain mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, ochratoxin A, T-2 toxin and zearalenone, were found in the analysed samples, and some of them quantified between 0.1μgL−1 and 19μgL−1.