Advantages of Multiplexing Ability of the Orbitrap Mass Analyzer in the Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis

• Published in: Toxins Vol. 15; no. 2; p. 134
• Main Authors: Rakk, Dávid, Kukolya, József, Škrbić, Biljana D., Vágvölgyi, Csaba, Varga, Mónika, Szekeres, András
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Aflatoxins; Aflatoxins - analysis; Analysis; Chromatography; Corn; Deoxynivalenol; fast mycotoxin measurement; Food analysis; Food Contamination - analysis; Fumonisins; High resolution; high throughput; Ions; Mass spectrometry; Metabolites; Methods; Multiplexing; Mycotoxins; Mycotoxins - analysis; Ochratoxins - analysis; parallel ion monitoring multiplexing; Quantitative analysis; Scientific imaging; Selectivity; Solvents; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Vegetables; Wheat; Zearalenone; Hungary; parallel ion monitoring multiplexing; high throughput; fast mycotoxin measurement
• ISSN: 2072-6651; 2072-6651
• DOI: 10.3390/toxins15020134

In routine measurements, the length of the analysis time and nfumber of samples analysed during a time unit are crucial parameters, which are especially important for the food analysis, particularly in the case of mycotoxin determinations. High-resolution equipment, including time-of-flight or Orbitrap analyzators, can provide stable instrumental background for high-throughput analyses. In this report, a short, 1 min MS-based multi-mycotoxin method was developed with the application of a short column as a reduced chromatographic separation, taking advantages of the multiplexing and high-resolution capability of the QExactive Orbitrap MS possessing sub-1 ppm mass accuracy. The performance of the method was evaluated regarding selectivity, LOD, LOQ, linearity, matrix effect, and recovery, and compared to a UHPLC-MS/MS method. The final multiplexing method was able to quantify 11 mycotoxins in defined ranges (aflatoxins (corn, 2.8–600 μg/kg; wheat, 1.5–350 μg/kg), deoxynivalenol (corn, 640–9600 μg/kg; wheat, 128–3500 μg/kg), fumonisins (corn, 20–1500 μg/kg; wheat, 30–3500 μg/kg), HT-2 (corn, 64–5200 μg/kg; wheat, 61–3500 μg/kg), T-2 (corn, 10–800 μg/kg; wheat, 4–250 μg/kg), ochratoxin (corn, 4.7–600 μg/kg; wheat, 1–1000 μg/kg), zearalenone (corn, 64–4800 μg/kg; wheat, 4–500 μg/kg)) within one minute in corn and wheat matrices at the MRL levels stated by the European Union.