Simultaneous Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup and HPLC Analysis of Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A in Spanish Bee Pollen

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 52; no. 24; pp. 7235 - 7239
• Main Authors: Garcia-Villanova, Rafael J, Cordón, Carlos, González Paramás, Ana M, Aparicio, P, Garcia Rosales, M. Eugenia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01-12-2004
• Subjects: Aflatoxins - analysis; Animals; Apidae; Bees; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, Affinity - methods; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ochratoxins - analysis; Pollen - chemistry; Spain; Spain; Ochratoxin; ochratoxin A; immunoaffinity column; Mycotoxin; HPLC chromatography; Toxin; aflatoxins; spanish bee pollen; Mycotoxins; Spanish; simultaneous food analysis; Aflatoxin; Food
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf048882z

Bee pollen is a major substrate for mycotoxins growth when no prompt and adequate drying is performed by the beekeeper after collection by bees. Regulatory limits for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are currently in force in the European Union for a rising list of foodstuffs, but not for this. An immunoaffinity column cleanup process has been applied prior to the analysis of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 and ochratoxin A (OTA). Optimization of the HPLC conditions has envolved both a gradient elution and a wavelength program for the separation and fluorimetric quantitation of all five mycotoxins at their maximum excitation and emission values of wavelength in a single run. The higher limit of detection (μg/kg) was 0.49 for OTA and 0.20 for aflatoxin B1. Repeatability (RSDr) at the lower limit tested ranged from 9.85% for OTA to 6.23% for aflatoxin G2, and recoveries also at the lower spiked level were 73% for OTA and 81% for aflatoxin B1. None of the 20 samples assayed showed quantifiable values for the five mycotoxins. Keywords: Mycotoxins; aflatoxins; ochratoxin A; spanish bee pollen; immunoaffinity column; simultaneous food analysis