LC-MS/MS method for the determination of the fungal pigment bikaverin in maize kernels as an indicator of ear rot

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Vol. 29; no. 11; pp. 1736 - 1742
• Main Authors: Busman, M, Butchko, R.A.E, Proctor, R.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01-11-2012; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: bikaverin; Biological and medical sciences; Calibration; Cereal and baking product industries; Chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Corn; corn ears; Crops, Agricultural - chemistry; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Crops, Agricultural - microbiology; detection limit; ear rot; Food Contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Food industries; Food Inspection - methods; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungal pigments; fungi; Fusarium; Fusarium - classification; Fusarium - growth & development; Fusarium - isolation & purification; Fusarium - metabolism; Fusarium verticillioides; Gibberella fujikuroi; high performance liquid chromatography; Illinois; ionization; Limit of Detection; liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; maize; Mass spectrometry; mycotoxin; Pigments, Biological - analysis; Pigments, Biological - chemistry; Pigments, Biological - isolation & purification; Pigments, Biological - metabolism; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Reproducibility of Results; seeds; Seeds - chemistry; Seeds - growth & development; Seeds - microbiology; Signal to noise ratio; Species Specificity; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Xanthones - analysis; Xanthones - chemistry; Xanthones - isolation & purification; Xanthones - metabolism; Zea mays; Zea mays - chemistry; Zea mays - microbiology; Illinois; liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; Mycotoxin; Corn; Liquid chromatography; Method; maize; Indicator; Fungi; Toxin; Rot; bikaverin; Fusarium; Pigments; Cereal; Fungi Imperfecti; Mass spectrometry
• ISSN: 1944-0057; 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2012.704528

Bikaverin is a polyketide-derived pigment produced by multiple species of the fungus Fusarium, some of which can cause ear and kernel rot of maize. A method was developed for the analysis of bikaverin by high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The quantitative nature of the LC-MS/MS method was demonstrated over a range of concentrations of bikaverin in maize. For spike-recovery experiments utilising maize spiked with bikaverin to a level 5 µg g⁻¹ of maize, the measured recovery (%) was 70.6 ± 10.4. Based on the utilised method, the limit of detection (based on a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 3) was better than 0.5 µg g⁻¹ from bikaverin spiked into uncontaminated ground maize. Further, the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 3 µg g⁻¹ (based on S/N > 10) from bikaverin spiked into ground maize. The method was applied to assess contamination of maize with bikaverin following inoculation of developing maize ears with Fusarium verticillioides under agricultural field conditions.