Mycotoxins—Biomonitoring and Human Exposure

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungal species that commonly have a toxic effect on human and animal health. Different foodstuff can be contaminated and are considered the major source of human exposure to mycotoxins, but occupational and environmental exposure can also significantly contribute to this problem. This review aims to provide a short overview of the occurrence of toxigenic fungi and regulated mycotoxins in foods and workplaces, following the current literature and data presented in scientific papers. Biomonitoring of mycotoxins in plasma, serum, urine, and blood samples has become a common method for determining the exposure to different mycotoxins. Novel techniques are more and more precise and accurate and are aiming toward the simultaneous determination of multiple mycotoxins in one analysis. Application of liquid chromatography (LC) methodologies, coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) or high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become a common and most reliable method for determining the exposure to mycotoxins. Numerous references confirm the importance of mycotoxin biomonitoring to assess the exposure for humans and animals. The objectives of this paper were to review the general approaches to biomonitoring of different mycotoxins and the occurrence of toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins, using recent literature sources.

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Determination of quaternary ammonium compounds in food products by the method of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution mass-spectrometry

Industrial laboratory Diagnostics of materials ◽

10.26896/1028-6861-2020-86-8-23-31 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 (8) ◽

pp. 23-31

Author(s):

V. G. Amelin ◽

D. S. Bolshakov

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

High Resolution ◽

Quaternary Ammonium ◽

High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Food Products ◽

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ◽

High Resolution Mass ◽

Ammonium Compounds ◽

Resolution Mass

The goal of the study is developing a methodology for determination of the residual amounts of quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) in food products by UHPLC/high-resolution mass spectrometry after water-acetonitrile extraction of the determined components from the analyzed samples. The identification and determination of QAC was carried out on an «UltiMate 3000» ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (Thermo Scientific, USA) equipped with a «maXis 4G» high-resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometric detector and an ion spray «ionBooster» source (Bruker Daltonics, Germany). Samples of milk, cheese (upper cortical layer), dumplings, pork, chicken skin and ground beef were used as working samples. Optimal conditions are specified for chromatographic separation of the mixture of five QAC, two of them being a mixture of homologues with a linear structure (including isomeric forms). The identification of QAC is carried out by the retention time, exact mass of the ions, and coincidence of the mSigma isotopic distribution. The limits for QAC detection are 0.1 – 0.5 ng/ml, the determination limits are 1 ng/ml for aqueous standard solutions. The determinable content of QAC in food products ranges within 1 – 100 ng/g. The results of analysis revealed the residual amount of QAC present in all samples, which confirms data of numerous sources of information about active use of QAC-based disinfectants in the meat and dairy industry. The correctness of the obtained results is verified by introduction of the additives in food products at a level of 10 ng/g for each QAC. The relative standard deviation of the analysis results does not exceed 0.18. The duration of the analysis is 30 – 40 min.

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