The occurrence of mycotoxins in agricultural commodities is a major health concern for livestock, humans, and the environment. Barley and subsequently malt quality is of fundamental importance to obtain good quality beer. Classical methods of analysis often require tedious, laborious, and expensive processes. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) instrumentation enables highly sensitive and fast analysis and/or detection using a very small sample. The possibilities of MALDI-TOF MS for he identification and/or detection of trichothecene mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV), respectively) in barley malt were examined, and it was found that almost all classical MALDI matrices failed to ionize the compounds being studied. This detailed study of the ionization conditions and the search for unconventional matrices led to the discovery of suitable MALDI matrices, which enable ionization of trichothecene mycotoxins. These were: fine powdered synthetic diamond, sodium azide, or hydrazine hydrate. It is possible to detect 8.5 x 10(-12) mol (2.5 ng) of deoxynivalenol or 64 x 10(-12) mol (20 ng) of nivalenol in just 1 microL of barley malt extract (equivalent to 600 microg of DON in 1 kg of barley malt). The procedure developed enables fast determination of DON and NIV in barley, malt, or similar products.
A novel method for the simultaneous determination of the trichothecene mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) in barley and malt extracts has been developed using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS). This technique enables highly sensitive and fast analysis and/or detection using very small samples. In this work several matrices were examined and the most suitable ones were identified. Statistical analysis was carried out to verify the ability of the system to determine the mycotoxins in a real sample. Test for the accuracy of the method, repeatability, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were studied. Moreover, the accuracy of the method was confirmed by comparing analytical data to certified values from reference materials for those mycotoxins. In addition, a comparison of the analytical parameters for the determination of DON, 3-ADON, 15-ADON, and Nivalenol was carried out. This work opens up the possibility of very sensitive determination of the selected mycotoxins in barley, malt, cereals and food.
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