Stable isotope dilution assay for the accurate determination of mycotoxins in maize by UHPLC-MS/MS
(2012)
A fast, easy-to-handle and cost-effective analytical
method for 11 mycotoxins currently regulated in maize and
other cereal-based food products in Europe was developed
and validated for maize. The method is based on two extraction
steps using different acidified acetonitrilewater mixtures.
Separation is achieved using ultrahigh-performance
liquid chromatography (UHPLC) by a linear watermethanol
gradient. After electrospray ionisation, tandem mass spectrometric
detection is performed in dynamic multiple reaction
monitoring mode. Since accurate mass spectrometric quantification
is hampered by matrix effects, uniformly [13C]-
labelled mycotoxins for each of the 11 compounds were added
to the sample extracts prior to UHPLC-MS/MS analysis.
Method performance parameters were obtained by spiking
blank maize samples with mycotoxins before as well as after
extraction on six levels in triplicates. The twofold extraction
led to total recoveries of the extraction steps between 97%and
111% for all target analytes, including fumonisins. The [13C]-
labelled internal standards efficiently compensated all matrix
effects in electrospray ionisation, leading to apparent recoveries
between 88% and 105% with reasonable additional costs.
The relative standard deviations of the whole method were
between 4% and 11% for all analytes. The trueness of the
method was verified by the measurement of several maize test
materials with well-characterized concentrations. In conclusion,
the developed method is capable of determining all
regulated mycotoxins in maize and presuming similar
matrix effects and extraction recovery also in other cerealbased
foods.
This paper describes the production and characteristics of the nanoparticle test materials prepared for common use in the collaborative research project NanoChOp (Chemical and optical characterization of nanomaterials in biological systems), in casu suspensions of silica nanoparticles and CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). This paper is the first to illustrate how to assess whether nanoparticle test materials meet the requirements of a "reference material" (ISO Guide 30, 2015) or rather those of the recently defined category of "representative test material (RTM)" (ISO/TS 16195, 2013). The NanoChOp test materials were investigated with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS) to establish whether they complied with the required monomodal particle size distribution. The presence of impurities, aggregates, agglomerates, and viable microorganisms in the suspensions was investigated with DLS, CLS, optical and electron microscopy and via plating on nutrient agar. Suitability of surface functionalization was investigated with attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and via the capacity of the nanoparticles to be fluorescently labeled or to bind antibodies. Between-unit homogeneity and stability were investigated in terms of particle size and zeta potential. This paper shows that only based on the outcome of a detailed characterization process one can raise the status of a test material to RTM or reference material, and how this status depends on its intended use.