Testing the suitability of different high-performance liquid chromatographic methods to determine aflatoxin M1 in a soft fresh Italian cheese

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a toxic undesirable compound in milk. AFM1 affinity for caseins causes a concentration effect during milk process for dairy transformation. In spite of this, no official method of analysis, nor maximum tolerance level for aflatoxin M1 in cheese have been established. Thus, the aim of this work was to test the suitability of different HPLC methods for the AFM1 quantification in soft cheese samples at three different contamination levels (low, medium and high, at respectively nearly 30, 100 and 250 ng/kg). Nine participants were selected among Italian laboratories accredited by the Italian accreditation body (ACCREDIA) for HPLC toxin analysis. They were asked to analyze samples applying the method routinely used. The different applied methods were compared, and precision and accuracy parameters were evaluated. The main differences among HPLC procedures were registered at the level of extraction step. The use of an enzymatic digestion for the extraction of the toxin from cheese seemed to be particularly advantageous and the use of immunoaffinity columns seemed to be determinant for the improvement of sensitivity at low contamination levels. In general, the applied methods well discriminated the 3 levels of contamination, even though they performed better at the medium and high concentration levels (100 and 250 ng/kg) than at the low one (30 ng/kg). In fact relative standard deviation for reproducibility at low level was higher (60.1%) than the same value at medium and high levels (22.8% and 28.9%, respectively).     

Aflatoxin M1 determination in cheese by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A new method for determining aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in cheese by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed. Two methodologies were compared for sample extraction. The first one involves sample extraction with dichloromethane for hard, aged cheese or acetone for fresh cheese and includes a preliminary matrix solid-phase dispersion-extraction step before solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up by a Carbograph-4 cartridge. The second method uses a water/methanol solution (90:10, v/v) extraction at 150 degrees C before clean-up. The average recoveries of AFM1 from samples spiked at levels of 0.25-0.45 microg/kg, were 81-92% and the precision (RSD) ranged from 3 to 7% with the first method, whilst the average recoveries were 79-84%, and RSD ranged from 7 to 15% for the second method. Due to different matrix effect, the quantification limits were 0.019-0.025 microg/kg in the first case and 0.048-0.143 microg/kg in the second one, depending on cheese typology.     

High-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatisation and fluorescence detection for sensitive determination of aflatoxin M1 in milk and cheese

A new HPLC method with fluorescence detection using pyridinium hydrobromide perbromide as a post-column derivatising agent has been developed to determine aflatoxin M1 in milk and cheese. The detection limits were 1 ng/kg for milk and 5 ng/kg for cheese. The calibration curve was linear from 0.001 to 0.1 ng injected. The method includes a preliminary C18-SPE clean-up and the average recoveries of Aflatoxin M1 from milk and cheese, spiked at levels of 25-75 ng/kg and 100-300 ng/kg, respectively, were 90 and 76%; the precision (RSDr) ranged from 1.7 to 2.6% for milk and from 3.5 to 6.5% for cheese. The method is rapid, easily automatable and therefore useful for accurate and precise screening of aflatoxin M1 in milk and cheese.     

Electrochemical Aptasensor Based on Poly(Neutral Red) and Carboxylated Pillar[5]arene for Sensitive Determination of Aflatoxin M1

Aptasensor for highly sensitive determination of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) was developed on the base of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) covered with polymeric Neutral red (NR) dye obtained by electropolymerization in the presence of polycarboxylated pillar[5]arene derivative. Aptamer against AFM1 and NR label were then covalently linked to the carboxylic groups of the carrier by carbodiimide binding. At presence of AFM1 the cathodic peak current related to the NR conversion decreases. AFM1 induced also an increase of the charge transfer resistance measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In optimal conditions, this make it possible to determine from 5 to 120 ng/L AFM1 in standard solutions with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 ng/L. The aptasensor was validated on the spiked samples of cow and sheep milk as well as in kefir after their methanol dilution. Reliable detection of the 40–160 ng/kg of mycotoxins was reached. This is below limited threshold value (50 μg/kg) established in EC.     

QuEChERS结合液相色谱-串联质谱法快速测定奶酪中多类兽药残留

建立了一种快速测定奶酪中大环内酯类、磺胺类、喹诺酮类和四环素类共50种兽药残留的分析方法。方法采用改进后的QuEChERS对奶酪进行前处理。样品在加入Na₂EDTA缓冲液和陶瓷均质子后,在5%(v/v)醋酸乙腈条件下进行振荡提取,氯化钠和无水硫酸钠用于盐析,经C₁₈吸附剂净化后,供液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)测定。目标化合物经ZORBAX-SB-C₁₈柱梯度分离,在正离子动态多反应监测模式下进行检测。结果表明,奶酪中50种兽药的定量限(LOQ)为0.05~20 μg/kg;在3个添加浓度(20、50、100 μg/kg)下(n=6),平均回收率在70%~120%范围内的比例分别为94%、92%和96%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为1%~14%。对市售的7个样品进行测定,其中两个样品分别检出了微量的罗红霉素和氟甲喹兽药残留。该方法快速简便,适用于奶酪中兽药残留的快速检测和日常监控。     

Concentration of ochratoxin A in wines from supermarkets and stores of Valencian Community (Spain)

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi species belonging to the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium being isolated in alcoholic beverages. The aim of this work is developed and applied a procedure for the analysis of OTA in wines. An analytical method based on immunoaffinity column (IAC) for clean-up, liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FD), and LC-FD after of OTA methylation was used to determine the occurrence of OTA in wines. Recoveries of this mycotoxin spiked to red wines at 0.5 ng/ml level were >90% with an average of relative standards deviations of 4%. Furthermore, 116 wine samples from designation of origin (DO) and three samples from food stores of Valencian Community (Spain) were examined for the occurrence of OTA being the levels of this mycotoxin ranged from <0.01 to 0.76 ng/ml. Finally, the estimated daily intake of OTA in this study was 0.15 ng/kg bw per day.     

Rapid determination of moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis

A peer-verified method is presented for the determination of percent moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave drying and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The method involves determining the moisture/solids content of dairy samples by microwave drying and using the dried sample to determine the fat content by NMR analysis. Both the submitting and peer laboratories analyzed various dairy products by using a CEM SMART system (moisture) and the SMART Trac (fat). The samples included milks, creams, ice cream mix, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and mozzarella, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses. These samples represented a range of products that processors deal with in daily plant operations. The results were compared with moisture/solids and fat values derived from AOAC-approved methods.     

在线二维液相色谱法同时测定婴幼儿和成人配方营养品中的维生素A、D3和E

建立了在线二维液相色谱同时快速测定婴幼儿配方乳品和成人强化乳品中维生素A、D₃和E含量的方法。首先,依据疏水减法模型,选择C8柱和极性嵌合的反相C18柱分别作为一维和二维分离柱,构成正交分离体系,并均以甲醇、乙腈和水作为流动相,检测波长设为263 nm(维生素D₃)、296 nm(维生素E)和325 nm(维生素A)。采用双三元液相色谱的左泵作为一维分析泵,完成维生素A、E的定量和维生素D₃的净化;根据维生素D₃在一维色谱柱上的保留时间,确定切割时间窗口,并以500 μL定量环收集含有维生素D₃的馏分,由双三元液相色谱的右泵将馏分带到二维色谱柱中,以维生素D₂作为内标物,采用内标法完成维生素D₃的定量分析,整个过程在密闭系统中自动化完成。在上述优化条件下测定了婴幼儿和成人奶粉、奶酪及酸奶等强化乳品中3种维生素的含量。经过1.25 kg/L KOH溶液的热皂化和石油醚的萃取,样品萃取液直接进样分析,得到维生素D₃的加标回收率为75.50%~85.00%,并通过配对t检验法与标准方法测定结果进行比较分析,结果差异无统计学意义,表明本方法可同时快速、准确测定婴幼儿及其他配方营养品中维生素A、D₃、E的含量,提高了样品分析效率。     

Determination of phthalates in fruit jellies by dispersive SPE coupled with HPLC‐MS

In this study, a simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of five phthalates including dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, and dicyclohexyl phthalate in fruit jellies by LC coupled with MS has been developed. Samples were pretreated by a dispersive SPE method, termed QuEChERS, which is an acronym for quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe. The standard calibration curves were linear for all the analytes over the concentration range of 10–250 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.9976 to 0.9991. The LODs and LOQs were in the ranges of 0.09–3.68 ng/mL and 0.28–11.25 ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy of this method was evaluated by measuring the recovery from spiked samples. The recoveries of all five phthalates from samples spiked at three different concentrations (0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 mg/kg), were in the ranges of 83.5–103.9%, 86.7–95.8%, and 87.1–95.2%, respectively. The RSD values for the samples spiked at 0.01, 0.03 , and 0.05 mg/kg ranged from 2.0–7.6%, 1.4–6.4%, and 1.2–3.8%, respectively. The method has been used for the analysis of real samples and BBP and DEP were found in real samples.     

离子色谱法测定奶制品及蜂王浆中的乙酰胆碱

建立了奶制品及蜂王浆中乙酰胆碱的离子交换/电导检测离子色谱分析方法.样品经去离子水超声提取,离子交换/电导检测离子色谱法测定,外标法定量.采用IonPac CS17(250 mm x4.0 mm i.d.)分析柱,流动相为甲基磺酸,梯度洗脱,流速1.0 mL/min,柱温30℃,检测池温度35℃.实验结果表明,氯化乙酰...     

Transfer of 226Ra, 85Sr and 137Cs from milk to milk products</p> </p>

Summary Transfer of ²²⁶Ra, ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs from cow and sheep milk to various Syrian dairy products has been evaluated. Dairy products include Kashkivan cheese, braided cheese, Haloom cheese, Sircassian cheese, liquid cheese, native cheese, cottage, thick yogurt, butter and milk cream. The results showed that the percentage of ²²⁶Ra, ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs transferred from cow milk to milk cream (P_t=food processing retention factor′processing efficiency′100%) has reached 32%, 16% and 7%, respectively. Butter and liquid cheese were found to have the lowest percentage of transferred 226Ra, ⁸⁵Sr and ¹³⁷Cs. Most of the obtained P_t values of the studied radionuclides in thick yogurt were relatively low in spite of the high processing efficiencies of thick yogurt. Moreover, the transfer, P_t, of the studied radionuclides from cow milk to the prepared cheese was higher than those values determined for sheep milk. This is due to differences in chemical compositions of each type of milk. On the other hand, the treatment of Native cheese, most commonly consumed cheese in Syria, with different concentrations of NaCl solutions showed that ¹³⁷Cs was completely removed from cheese soaking in 5% NaCl solution (soaking time of 48 hours), while 40% of ²²⁶Ra and 80% of ⁸⁵Sr were also decontaminated using 0-2.5% NaCl solutions and soaking time of 48 hours. Based on the obtained results, industrialization processes of the dairy products that resulted the removal of radionuclides have been identified.</p> </p>     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定牛奶和奶粉中的二氰二胺、三聚氰胺和三聚氰酸

建立了一种超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定牛奶和奶粉中二氰二胺(DCD)、三聚氰胺(MEL)和三聚氰酸(CY)的分析方法。样品用5%(质量分数)三氯乙酸水溶液提取,无需净化和浓缩,用Acquity UPLC HSS T3色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 μm)分离,以乙腈和乙酸铵作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,电喷雾正、负离子(ESI^±)模式同时电离,多反应监测模式进行检测。结果表明:在5.0～200.0 μg/L范围内线性关系良好(r≥0.995)。牛奶中3种化合物在0.02、0.10、0.20 mg/kg的添加回收率为60.0%～105.8%,相对标准偏差(RSD, n=6)为4.2%～13.6%;奶粉中3种化合物在0.05、0.10、0.20 mg/kg的添加回收率为78.0%～115.0%, RSD (n=6)为2.7%～7.5%。牛奶中方法的定量限(信噪比为10)为0.02 mg/kg,奶粉中方法的定量限为0.05 mg/kg。该方法简单、快速、灵敏、准确,适合于牛奶、奶粉等乳及乳制品中DCD、MEL和CY的快速、高灵敏的分析检测。     

Rapid method for trace determination of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in yogurt

A new multiresidue method was developed for the analysis of 19 organochlorine pesticides and 6 polychlorinated biphenyls in yogurt. The sample was extracted twice with acetone by homogenization with an Ultra-Turrax dispersing unit, and the combined extracts were filtered. The extract was then purified by reversed-phase C18 columns and subjected to further cleanup with neutral alumina columns. The residues were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. After the method was optimized, it was validated by determination of recovery percentages, precision (repeatability and reproducibility), and sensitivity (detection and quantitation limits) with yogurt samples fortified at 10 and 1 microg/kg concentration levels. The recovery of 23 organochlorine residues ranged from 77 to 95% at a level of 10 microg/kg, from 74 to 102% at a level of 1 microg/kg, and between 54 and 61% for dieldrin and alpha-endosulfan. The method is repeatable and reproducible, with relative standard deviation values <19% for all residues except dieldrin. Detection and quantitation limits were between 0.02 and 0.62 microg/kg. The analytical method proposed was quick, accurate, repeatable, and reproducible for the determination of organochlorine residues in yogurt samples.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法快速测定水及鱼肉中的苯胺

为快速准确测定水及鱼肉中的苯胺,采用乙腈提取、高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定,建立了水及鱼肉中苯胺的快速测定方法。水样与乙腈以4：1的体积比混合,1.00 g鱼肉中加入2.00 mL乙腈,涡旋提取1 min,水样和鱼肉样品的提取液离心5 min后取上清液测定。以C₁₈柱为分离柱,乙腈-0.5%（v/v）甲酸水溶液（85：15,v/v）为流动相,目标物质在3 min内分离。在0.5~500 μg/L范围内,苯胺峰面积与内标峰面积之比与质量浓度的线性关系良好（R²>0.999）。基质加标试验结果表明,苯胺在水中的回收率分别为93.7%（加标水平为40 ng）和86.7% （加标水平为400 ng）,苯胺在鱼肉中的回收率分别为96.8%、 92.6%和81.8%（加标水平分别为5、50和500 ng）,相对标准偏差在1.5%~9.2%之间。水样和鱼肉样品中苯胺的检出限分别为0.50 μg/L和1.00 μg/kg,定量限分别为1.00 μg/L和2.00 μg/kg。应用该方法测定了从受苯胺污染的水库中采集的13份水样和12份鱼肉样品,结果表明,水和鱼肉中苯胺的最大含量分别为1943.6 μg/L和60.8 μg/kg。本方法快速、准确,适用于水和鱼肉中苯胺的快速测定。     

Sensitive analysis of anti-HIV drugs, efavirenz, lopinavir and ritonavir, in human hair by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and selective method using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and validated for the measurement of three antiretroviral agents, efavirenz, lopinavir and ritonavir, in human hair. Hair samples from adherent HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapies were cut into about 1 mm length segments and drugs were extracted by first shaking the samples with methanol in a 37 degrees C water bath overnight (>14 h), followed by methyl tert-butyl ether/ethyl acetate (1:1) extraction under weak alkaline conditions. The extracted lopinavir and ritonavir were separated by reversed-phase chromatography and detected by tandem mass spectrometry in electrospray positive ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), while efavirenz was monitored in negative ionization MRM mode. This method was validated from 0.01 to 4.0 ng/mg hair for ritonavir and 0.05-20 ng/mg hair for lopinavir and efavirenz by using 2 mg of a human hair sample. The interday and intraday assay precision (coefficients of variation, CV) for spiked quality control (QC) samples at low, medium and high concentrations were within 15% and accuracy ranged from 89% to 110%. Assay reproducibility was also demonstrated by analysis of incurred hair QC samples (CV <14%). No significant matrix ionization suppression was observed. This developed method allowed for the monitoring of these target medications in the hair samples of HIV-infected women on antiretroviral therapy in an observational study using small amounts of hair.     

Determination of Penicillium roqueforti toxin by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for the detection and quantification of Penicillium roqueforti toxin (PRT) using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography has been established. The limit of quantitation of this method was 3 ng of PRT, while the limit of detection was 2 ng of toxin. The precision of the analysis based on numerous runs was good. Retention times for PRT were highly reproducible with an average coefficient of variation of about 1.6%. Analysis of PRT in liquid and solid samples showed no interference of the sample matrix. The accuracy of the method was 98.6%, with mean PRT recoveries of 96.8%, and 100.4% for the spiked culture medium and blue cheese extracts, respectively.     

Residue determination of glyphosate, glufosinate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in water and soil samples by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes a method for the sensitive and selective determination of glyphosate, glufosinate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) residues in water and soil samples. The method involves a derivatization step with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC) in borate buffer and detection based on liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). In the case of water samples a volume of 10 mL was derivatized and then 4.3 mL of the derivatized mixture was directly injected in an on-line solid phase extraction (SPE)-LC-MS/MS system using an OASIS HLB cartridge column and a Discovery chromatographic column. Soil samples were firstly extracted with potassium hydroxide. After that, the aqueous extract was 10-fold diluted with water and 2 mL were derivatized. Then, 50 microL of the derivatized 10-fold diluted extract were injected into the LC-MS/MS system without pre-concentration into the SPE cartridge. The method has been validated in both ground and surface water by recovery studies with samples spiked at 50 and 500 ng/L, and also in soil samples, spiked at 0.05 and 0.5 mg/kg. In water samples, the mean recovery values ranged from 89 to 106% for glyphosate (RSD <9%), from 97 to 116% for AMPA (RSD < 10%), and from 72 to 88% in the case of glufosinate (RSD < 12%). Regarding soil samples, the mean recovery values ranged from 90 to 92% for glyphosate (RSD <7%), from 88 to 89% for AMPA (RSD <5%) and from 83 to 86% for glufosinate (RSD <6%). Limits of quantification for all the three compounds were 50 ng/L and 0.05 mg/kg in water and soil, respectively, with limits of detection as low as 5 ng/L, in water, and 5 microg/kg, in soil. The use of labelled glyphosate as internal standard allowed improving the recovery and precision for glyphosate and AMPA, while it was not efficient for glufosinate, that was quantified by external standards calibration. The method developed has been applied to the determination of these compounds in real water and soil samples from different areas. All the detections were confirmed by acquiring two transitions for each compound.     

Quantitation of estrogens in ground water and swine lagoon samples using solid-phase extraction, pentafluorobenzyl/trimethylsilyl derivatizations and gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A method was developed for the confirmed identification and quantitation of 17beta-estradiol, estrone, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol and 16alpha-hydroxy-17beta-estradiol (estriol) in ground water and swine lagoon samples. Centrifuged and filtered samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction (SPE), and extracts were derivatized using pentafluorobenzy] bromide (PFBBR) and N-trimethylsilylimidazole (TMSI). Analysis was done using negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS). Deuterated analogs of each of the estrogens were used as isotope dilution standards (IDS) and were added to the samples before extraction. A limit of quantitation of 1 ng/l in ground water was obtained using 500 ml of ground water sample, 1.0 ml of extract volume and the lowest calibration standard of 0.5 pg/microl. For a 25 ml swine lagoon sample, the limit of quantitation was 40 ng/l. The average recovery of the four estrogens spiked into 500 ml of distilled water and ground water samples (n = 16) at 2 ng/l was 103% (S.D. 14%). For 25 ml of swine lagoon samples spiked at 500, 1000 and 10,000 ng/l, the average recovery for the four estrogens was 103% (S.D. 15%). The method detection limits (MDLs) of the four estrogens spiked at 2 ng/l in a 500 ml of ground water sample ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 ng/l. In swine lagoon samples from three different types of swine operations, estrone was found at levels up to 25,000 ng/l, followed by estriol and estradiol up to levels at 10,000 and 3000 ng/l, respectively. It was found that pretreatment of swine lagoon samples with formaldehyde was necessary to prevent conversion of estradiol to estrone.     

Determination of chlorpyrifos, penconazole, fenarimol, vinclozolin and metalaxyl in grapes, must and wine by on-line microextraction and gas chromatography

A rapid gas chromatographic method for determination of residue levels of one insecticide (chlorpyrifos) and four fungicides (penconazole, fenarimol, vinclozolin and metalaxyl) in grapes, must and wine is described. An on-line microextraction method was used. The matrix, once extracted with a mixture of acetone-dichloromethane (1:1, v/v) was filtered and concentrated. Electron-capture detection for chlorpyrifos, penconazole, fenarimol and vinclozolin and mass-selective detection in the selected-ion monitoring mode for metalaxyl were utilised. No clean-up was necessary because there were no interferences in the area of interest of the chromatogram. Linearity of both detectors, in the range 0.02-2 ng/microliter, was checked. In all cases, the correlation coefficient was the same or superior to 0.997. Recoveries from spiked grapes, must and wine ranged from 78% to 101% (fortification level, 0.1-1 mg/kg). Limits of determination were between 0.01 mg/kg for metalaxyl and 0.001 mg/kg for vinclozolin.     

Enzyme immunoassay of staphylococcal enterotoxins in dairy products with cleanup and concentration by immunoaffinity column

Two different immunoaffinity columns (IACs) were prepared for detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SETs) from dairy products. First, a specific IAC for staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), IAC-1, was prepared by coupling monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against SEA; second, a polyspecific IAC for SEA, staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), staphylococcal enterotoxin C (SECs), and staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED), IAC-2, was prepared by coupling a mixture of mAbs against SEA, SECs, and SED, and rabbit IgG against SEB. These columns were applied for detection of SETs in dairy products, after extraction, immunoaffinity chromatography, and enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA). Overall recoveries from dairy products spiked with 1 ng SEA/25 g averaged 81.2% (range, 76-85%) on IAC-1. The repeated use of IAC-1 was then determined with good efficiency of 91.5%, in more than 10 runs. On the other hand, a recovery yield of 77% of SETs (SEA, SEB, SEC, and SED) from dairy products spiked with 2.5 ng of each enterotoxin per 25 g, was obtained with IAC-2. IAC-2 was also successfully subjected to the chromatography of naturally contaminated foods implicated in staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks. This new extraction-concentration-immunoaffinity-chromatography method (ECIC) is very useful for improving staphylococcal enterotoxin detection and eliminating matrix effect in EIA of dairy products.