Validation of a liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantification of ochratoxin A and its analogues in red wines

A validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection for the simultaneous quantification of ochratoxin A (OTA) and its analogues (ochratoxin B (OTB), ochratoxin C (OTC) and methyl ochratoxin A (MeOTA)) in red wine at trace levels is described. Before their analysis by HPLC-FLD, ochratoxins were extracted and purified with immunoaffinity columns from 50 mL of red wine at pH 7.2. Validation of the analytical method was based on the following parameters: selectivity, linearity, robustness, limits of detection and quantification, precision (within-day and between-day variability), recovery and stability. The limits of detection (LOD) in red wine were established at 0.16, 0.32, 0.27 and 0.17 ng L(-1) for OTA, OTB, MeOTA and OTC, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was established as 0.50 ng L(-1) for all of the ochratoxins. The LOD and LOQ obtained are the lowest found for OTA in the reference literature up to now. Recovery values were 93.5, 81.7, 76.0 and 73.4% for OTA, OTB, MeOTA and OTC, respectively. For the first time, this validated method permits the investigation of the co-occurrence of ochratoxins A, B, C and methyl ochratoxin A in 20 red wine samples from Spain.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱检测葡萄酒中赭曲霉毒素A

使用C18小柱固相萃取, C18反相柱(250 mm×4.6 mm i.d.)分离,V(乙腈):V(水):V(乙酸)＝99:99:2为流动相,荧光检测器(激发波长333 nm,发射波长460 nm)检测,测定葡萄酒中赭曲霉毒素A.其质量浓度在6.25～200 ng/mL范围内呈良好线性,相关系数为0.9997.样品经浓缩60倍后,方法检出限为0.027 ng/mL.对红葡萄酒、干红及白葡萄酒进行了加标回收实验,回收率为80.1%～109.8%.平行7份样品加标回收率相对标准偏差为5.9%.对市售6种葡萄酒进行了赭曲霉毒素A的测定.     

The comparison of two clean-up procedures, multifunctional column and immunoaffinity column, for HPLC determination of ochratoxin A in cereals, raisins and green coffee beans

To evaluate a clean-up method of detecting ochratoxin A (OTA) by HPLC, the performances of two different clean-up columns, an immunoaffinity column and a multifuntional column were compared in an inter-laboratory study. As samples, un-contaminated wheat, corn grits, green coffee beans and naturally contaminated raisins were used. The recovery test was performed at two different concentrations of OTA (0.5 and 5.0 μg/kg) except for naturally contaminated raisins. Using the immunoaffinity column, the recovery rates, and relative standard deviations for repeatability (R.S.D._r) and reproducibility (R.S.D._R) for wheat, corn grits and green coffee beans ranged 59.0-85.8, 4.2-7.8 and 22.9-29.2%, respectively. For naturally contaminated raisins, recovery, R.S.D._r and R.S.D._R were 84.1, 1.8 and 5.1%, respectively. Using the multifunctional column, the recovery rates, R.S.D._r and R.S.D._R for wheat, corn grits and green coffee beans ranged 80.8-185.0, 0.7-6.9 and 15.2-33.9%, respectively. For naturally contaminated raisins, the recovery, R.S.D._r and R.S.D._R were 128.7, 1.1 and 3.7%, respectively. The results suggest that a multifunctional column could be used to detect OTA in wheat and corn grits at a concentration as low as 0.5 μg/kg; however, it was difficult to detect OTA in green coffee beans and raisins at such a low level. Although an immunoaffinity column could be used for all the test samples in this study from a low level to a high level, the recovery rates were lower than with a multifunctional column.     

Determination of ochratoxin A in Portuguese rice samples by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive and accurate analytical method for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in rice, based on extraction with phosphate-buffered saline/methanol, an immunoaffinity column (IAC) for clean-up, and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD), is described. The limit of quantification of the proposed method was 0.05 g kg^–1. Recovery of OTA from rice samples spiked at 0.05 g kg^–1 was 92%, with a within-day RSD of 5.4%. The proposed method was applied to 42 rice samples from Portugal and the presence of OTA was found in six samples at concentrations ranging from 0.09 to 3.52 g kg^–1. The identification of OTA was confirmed by methyl ester derivatization and then HPLC analysis. The daily intake of OTA by the Portuguese population was also estimated.     

Sample preparation including sol-gel immunoaffinity chromatography for determination of bisphenol A in canned beverages, fruits and vegetables

The paper describes the development of a very simple method to prepare samples of canned food (beverages, fruits and vegetables) for the determination of bisphenol A by isocratic HPLC with fluorescence detection. The new sample preparation method makes use of the selectivity of bisphenol A antibodies immobilized in a silica matrix by an inexpensive and simple sol-gel technique. In spite of applying highly complex food matrices, immunoaffinity columns could be used for clean-up of at least 15 real samples. Limits of detection (S/N=3) ranged from 0.1 ng/ml for beverages to 4.3 ng/g for vegetables.     

Comparative study of screening methodologies for ochratoxin A detection in winery by-products

The worldwide contamination of winery by-products by mycotoxins may present a serious hazard to human and animal health. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi with possible adverse effects on humans, animals, and crops that result in illnesses and economic losses. Mycotoxins are under continuous survey in Europe, but the regulatory aspects still need to be set up for winery by-products, which may be used in animal feed. The aim of this study was to implement a simple but reliable analytical methodology for ochratoxin A (OTA) quantification in grape pomaces in order to perform a survey of samples from the Douro Demarcated Region, Portugal. The method involved a unique preparation step, solvent extraction, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence (FL) detection. A comparative study was performed with two extraction solvents (ethyl acetate and methanol) as well as using extraction on an immunoaffinity column. The linearity range for OTA analysis was 0.05–23.5 μg L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.05 μg L⁻¹ and a precision (expressed by the coefficient of variation under repeatability conditions) of 0.4–14.7%. The percentage of recovery was on average 23.5 ± 3.6% (extraction with ethyl acetate) or 70.1 ± 2.5% (extraction with 70% methanol). Accounting for the recovery factor and the chromatographic detection limit, as well as the preconcentration factor, the limit of detection in grape pomaces is 0.04 μg kg⁻¹ (ethyl acetate extraction) and 0.33 μg kg⁻¹ (methanol extraction). Samples from 12 out of 13 sites in the Douro Demarcated Region showed OTA presence with concentrations not exceeding 0.4 μg kg⁻¹. Both developed methods for evaluation of OTA in grape pomace are simple but efficient. Figure Extraction of ochratoxin A (OTA) from grape pomaces allows simple but efficient quantification of OTA in winery by-products by HPLC-FL     

Use of high-performance liquid chromatography to assess airborne mycotoxins. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A

An HPLC analytical method combining methanol-deionised water (80:20, v/v) extraction, methanol-acetonitrile (50:50, v/v) extraction and fluorescence detection was implanted to analyse ochratoxin A and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 of air samples collected during the usual production process in a number of workplaces of a coffee factory to assess the occupational exposure of the engaged workers. The average levels of airborne ochratoxin A and aflatoxins were less than 1.2 and 0.4 ng/m3, respectively, using 50 L air samples. When 150 L air samples were used, levels lower than 0.04 ng/m3 ochratoxin A and 0.013 ng/m3 for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, could be detected.     

Exposure assessment to ochratoxin A from the consumption of Italian and Hungarian wines

A total of 267 wine samples including 19 dessert, 186 red, 11 rosé and 51 white produced mostly in the years 1997–2002 in Italian and Hungarian regions were analyzed for ochratoxin A (OTA) using inmunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up and HPLC with fluorimetric detection. None of Hungarian wine samples were contaminated with this mycotoxin. For Italian red wines, 84% of the samples were positive for OTA ranged from 0.01 to 4.00 ng/mL. Furthermore, OTA was detected in 63% of dessert, in 56% of rosé and in 19% of white wine samples ranged from 0.01 to 1.64, from 0.01 to 1.04 and from 0.01 to 0.21 ng/mL, respectively. A study of OTA daily exposure assessment in Italian wines was also carried out outlining a quite low contribution to the overall daily intake.     

Simultaneous determination of four aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in ginger and related products by HPLC with fluorescence detection after immunoaffinity column clean‐up and postcolumn photochemical derivatization

Ginger, a widely used spice and traditional Chinese medicine, is prone to be contaminated by mycotoxins. A simple, sensitive, and reproducible method based on immunoaffinity column clean‐up coupled with HPLC and on‐line postcolumn photochemical derivatization with fluorescence detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxins (AFs) B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂, and ochratoxin A (OTA) in 25 batches of gingers and related products marketed in China for the first time. The samples were first extracted by ultrasonication with methanol/water (80:20, v/v) and then cleaned up with immunoaffinity columns for analysis. Under the optimized conditions, the LODs and LOQs for the five mycotoxins were 0.03–0.3 and 0.1–0.9 μg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries ranged from 81.3–100.8% for AFs and from 88.6–99.5% for OTA at three spiking levels. Good linearity was observed for the analytes with correlation coefficients all >0.9995. All moldy gingers were contaminated with at least one kind of the five investigated mycotoxins, while none of them were found in normal gingers. Ginger powder samples were contaminated slightly with the contamination levels below the LOQs, while ginger tea bags were mainly contaminated by OTA at 1.05–1.19 μg/kg and ginger black tea bags were mainly contaminated by AFs at 3.37–5.76 μg/kg. All the contamination levels were below the legally allowable limits.     

Evolution of ochratoxin A content from must to wine in Port Wine microvinification

To study the evolution of ochratoxin A (OTA) content from must to wine during the making of Port Wine, grapes from the five most common varieties of Port Wine were harvested and combined in equal percentages in order to perform microvinifications. Three sets of assays were studied: a blank (A), where the most common Port Wine-making process was used; in the second (B), a solution of OTA was added to the initial must; in the third (C), the grapes were aspersed with an inoculating solution of OTA-producing fungi. Samples were collected, in duplicate, on four different occasions throughout the process. The influence of the addition of SO₂ to the must was also assessed in each set. The quantification of OTA was based on the standard reference method for wines (European Standard prEN 14133), which includes clean-up via immunoaffinity columns and HPLC with fluorescence detection. The limits of detection were 0.076 g/l for wine and 0.114 g/l for must. The method was validated by assessing the precision, accuracy and by obtaining an estimate of the global uncertainty. Overall, the levels of OTA observed during the vinifications dropped by up to 92%, and no grapes used in this work were contaminated naturally.     

Concentration of ochratoxin A in coffee products and probabilistic health risk assessment

Coffee is a beverage that people enjoy a lot in their daily lives and is an integral part of people's social life. In this study, the detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee was carried out by High-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence (HPLC-FLD) detectors. Furthermore, the amount of ochratoxin A (OTA), Margin of exposure (MOEs), and Hazard quotient (HQ) in different types of coffees; instant, classic, and roasted coffee were calculated using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. The average OTA concentration was in the rage of 3.6 to 26.6 µg/kg. The content of classic and instant coffee found to have.OTA, is below the maximum limit defined by the European Union legislation. The maximum limit for these two types of coffee is 10 µg/kg. The daily intakes of the OTA through classic and instant coffee were also found to be lower than the Tolerance daily intake proposed by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). MOEs (neoplastic effect) in adults was classic coffee (171026) > roasted coffee (15390) > instant coffee (8549) and also MOEs (non-neoplastic effects) in children was classic coffee (55790) > roasted coffee (5020) > instant coffee (2789). Consumers of instant coffee are at cancer risk based on neoplastic effects and also consumers of instant coffee and roasted coffee are at cancer risk based on non-neoplastic effects (MOEs lower than 10,000 value). HQ (nephrotoxic effect) in adults was instant coffee (0.132) > roasted coffee (0.097) > classic coffee (0.012). HQ due to consumption of coffee products was lower than 1, hence consumers are at safe non-cancer risk. Therefore, it is recommended reducing the concentration of mycotoxins in coffee products.     

Determination of ochratoxin A in wine using liquid-phase microextraction combined with liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A liquid-liquid microextraction technique (LPME) has been applied to the extraction of ochratoxin A (OTA) from wine prior to its quantification by HPLC-fluorescence detection. OTA was extracted from wine, through 1-octanol immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and introduced into 1-octanol inside the fiber. Recovery was 77%. The method was adequate for quantification of OTA in wine at levels within the range 0.25-10 ng/ml with a LOD of 0.2 ng/ml, and can be a simple and inexpensive alternative to the use of inmunoaffinity columns in order to quantify OTA levels in wine.     

Non-instrumental immunochemical tests for rapid ochratoxin A detection in red wine

Gel-based and membrane-based flow-through immunoassay formats were investigated for rapid ochratoxin A (OTA) detection in red wine. The flow-through set-up consisted of an antibody containing gel or membrane placed at the bottom of a standard solid-phase extraction column (i.e. the flow-through column), combined with a clean-up column. Different clean-up methods were studied for red wine clarification and purification. The optimal method consisted of passing wine, diluted with an aqueous solution containing 1% polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) and 5% sodium hydrogencarbonate, through strong anion exchange (SAX) silica. An immunoassay for OTA detection in red wine was optimized and a cut-off level at 2 μg L⁻¹ according to EU legislation was achieved with both formats. A more significant colour difference between blank and spiked samples was observed for the gel-based assay making this superior to the membrane-based assay. The proposed rapid gel-based test was compared with a standard immunoaffinity column - high-performance liquid chromatography - fluorescent detection (IAC-HPLC-FLD) method and a good correlation of the results was obtained for naturally contaminated wine samples.     

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for the determination of ochratoxin a in human plasma

Summary A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method is described for the quantitative determination of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) in human plasma. The assay involves extraction with chloroform and sodium bicarbonate then HPLC with fluorescence detection. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, recovery, linearity, precision (within-day and between-day variability), accuracy, detection and quantification limits, and the stability of OTA in plasma and treated samples. The limit of detection was 0.4 ng mL⁻¹ of OTA in methanol, corresponding to 0.52 ng ml⁻¹ OTA in plasma. This assay was successfully applied for the determination of OTA levels in human plasma.     

Monoclonal antibody based electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of ochratoxin A in wheat

Competitive electrochemical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays based on disposable screen-printed electrodes have been developed for quantitative determination of ochratoxin A (OTA). The assays were carried out using monoclonal antibodies in the direct and indirect format. OTA working range, I₅₀ and detection limits were 0.05-2.5 and 0.1-7.5 μg L⁻¹, 0.35 (±0.04) μg L⁻¹ and 0.9 (±0.1) μg L⁻¹, 60 and 100 μg L⁻¹ in the direct and indirect assay format, respectively. The immunosensor in the direct format was selected for the determination of OTA in wheat. Samples were extracted with aqueous acetonitrile and the extract analyzed directly by the assay without clean-up. The I₅₀ in real samples was 0.2 μg L⁻¹ corresponding to 1.6 μg/kg in the wheat sample with a detection limit of 0.4 μg/kg (calculated as blank signal −3σ). Within- and between-assay variability were less than 5 and 10%, respectively. A good correlation (r = 0.9992) was found by comparative analysis of naturally contaminated wheat samples using this assay and an HPLC/immunoaffinity clean-up method based on the AOAC Official Method 2000.03 for the determination of OTA in barley.     

Aptamer‐affinity column clean‐up coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection for the rapid determination of ochratoxin A in ginger powder

Aptamers are single‐stranded oligonucleotides with high affinity and specificity and are widely used in targets separation and enrichment. Here, an aptamer‐affinity column (AAC) was firstly prepared in‐house through a covalent immobilization strategy. Then, ochratoxin A (OTA) in ginger powder was absorbed and enriched using the new aptamer‐based clean‐up technology for the first time, and was further analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. After optimization, the average recoveries for blank samples spiked with OTA at 5, 15, and 45 μg/kg ranged from 85.36 to 96.83%. Furthermore, the AAC exhibited a similar accuracy as an immunoaffinity column to clean up OTA in ginger powder. Above all, it exhibited better reusability, twice that of the immunoaffinity column, had lower toxicity and cost, and took less time. Of 25 contaminated ginger powder samples, OTA contamination levels ranged from 1.51 to 4.31 μg/kg, which were lower than the European Union (EU) regulatory limits. All the positive samples were further confirmed by ultra‐fast LC with MS/MS. In conclusion, the method of clean‐up based on the AAC coupled to ultra‐HPLC with fluorescence detection was rapid, specific, and sensitive for the quantitative analysis of OTA in a complex matrix.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer‐based solid phase clean‐up for analysis of ochratoxin A in beer,red wine,and grape juice

A simple, reliable, and low‐cost method based on molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent of SPE was proposed for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in beer, red wine, and grape juice by HPLC coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC‐FLD). Samples were diluted with water and cleaned up with an AFFINIMIP® SPE OTA column. After washing and eluting, the analyte was analyzed by HPLC‐FLD. Under the optimized conditions, LOD and LOQ for OTA were 0.025 and 0.08 ng/mL, respectively. The recoveries of OTA from beer, red wine, and grape spiked at 0.1, 2, and 5 ng/mL ranged from 91.6 to 101.7%. Furthermore, after a simple regenerated procedure, the molecularly imprinted polymer based SPE column could be reused at least 14 times to achieve more than 80% recoveries of OTA in real samples. The developed method was applied to the detection of 30 beer, red wine, and grape juice samples and only four samples were contaminated by OTA with levels below the legal limits.     

Occurrence of ochratoxin A in Turkish wines

A total of 95 wine samples including 34 white, 10 rosé and 51 red wines originating from four different Turkish areas were analysed for ochratoxin A (OTA). An analytical method based on immunoaffinity column (IAC) for clean-up and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) was used to determine OTA in wines. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated as 0.006 ng ml^− 1 for white wine and 0.010 ng ml^− 1 for rosé and red wines. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated as 0.020 ng ml^− 1 in white wine and 0.030 ng ml^− 1 in rosé and red wines. Recovery experiments were carried out with spiked samples in the range 0.1–1 ng ml^− 1 of OTA. The average OTA recoveries from spiked white wine samples varied from 79.43% to 85.07%; while the mean recoveries for rosé and red wine samples were in the range of 77.48–83.96% and 76.61–83.55%, respectively. OTA was detected in 82 (86%) wine samples at levels of < 0.006–0.815 ng ml^− 1, which were below the maximum allowable limit established by the European Community. The mean OTA concentration in red wines was slightly higher than in white and rosé wines. Furthermore, our data indicate that the geographic region of origin has strong influence on OTA level for white, rosé and red wines: wines originating from Thrace (n = 44, mean = 0.158 ng ml^− 1) and Aegean (n = 28, mean = 0.060 ng ml^− 1) regions of Turkey were more contaminated with OTA compared with wines originating from central (n = 15, mean = 0.027 ng ml⁻¹) and east Anatolia (n = 8, mean = 0.027 ng ml^− 1) areas. This study showed that the occurrence of OTA in Turkish wines is high, but at levels that probably leads to a non-significant human exposure to OTA by consumption of wines.     

Simultaneous determination of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone in grains by new immunoaffinity column/liquid chromatography

The simultaneous determination of mycotoxins was performed in 3 steps: extraction, cleanup, and detection. For extraction, a mixture of acetonitrile-water (60 + 40, v/v) was proved appropriate. For cleanup, a new Afla-Ochra-Zea immunoaffinity column was used. After derivatization with trifluoroacetic acid, the mycotoxins aflatoxins, ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEA) were determined simultaneously by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The detection limits in different matrixes after cleanup with the new immunoaffinity column were very low: aflatoxins, 0.002-0.7 microg/kg; OTA, 0.07-0.25 microg/kg; ZEA, 1-3 microg/kg. The limits of determination were: aflatoxins, 0.25 microg/kg; OTA, 0.5 microg/kg; ZEA, 5 microg/kg. The recovery rates for aflatoxins, OTA, and ZEA for rye and rice were between 86 and 93% when a 0.5 g sample matter per immunoaffinity column was used.     

Comparison of methods for the determination of ochratoxin A in wine

Different analytical methods for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine have been compared. Sample clean-up was based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) with (i) immunoaffinity or (ii) RP-18 sorbent materials applying different experimental protocols. The detection of OTA was accomplished with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined either with electrospray ionisation (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) or fluorescence detection (FL). Comparative method evaluation was based on the investigation of 18 naturally contaminated red wine samples originating from different European countries. The analytical results are discussed in view of the respective method validation data and the corresponding experimental protocols. In general, analytical data obtained with RP-18 SPE combined with LC-MS-MS detection and immunoaffinity extraction combined with FL offered comparable good results in the sub-ppb concentration level indicating that high selectivity of either the sample clean-up or, alternatively the detection system are equally well-suited to guarantee an accurate OTA analysis in wine.