Simultaneous quantification of ergot and tropane alkaloids in bread in the Netherlands by LC-MS/MS.

Atropine and scopolamine are tropane alkaloids (TAs), which are regulated for cereal-based foods for children in the EU. For ergot alkaloids (EAs) in cereals and cereal-based food harmonised legislation is not yet established. A fast and straightforward method, which employs extraction by acidified water/methanol followed by ultra-filtration prior to analysis by LC-MS/MS, was validated in bread for 20 EAs and six TAs.

Stability of sterigmatocystin during the bread making process and its occurrence in bread from the Latvian market.

Sterigmatocystin (STC) is a carcinogenic and mutagenic mycotoxin produced by fungi of many Aspergillus species. The aim of this research was to test the stability of STC during the bread making process and to check bread samples from the Latvian market for STC contamination, using a previously developed electrospray positive ionisation (ESI(+)) liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Wheat grain naturally contaminated with STC was used for bread baking.

Sterigmatocystin: occurrence in foodstuffs and analytical methods--an overview.

Sterigmatocystin (STC) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi of many different Aspergillus species. Other species such as Bipolaris, Chaetomium, Emiricella are also able to produce STC. STC producing fungi were frequently isolated from different foodstuffs, while STC was regularly detected in grains, corn, bread, cheese, spices, coffee beans, soybeans, pistachio nuts, animal feed and silage.

Effect of plant extract on the degradation of nitroaromatic compounds by soil microorganisms.

Remediation of soils contaminated by nitroaromatic compounds and nitramines, i.e. explosives, is known as very important, complicated, and rapidly developing area of biotechnology.

Sterigmatocystin presence in typical Latvian grains.

Ninety five samples of different Latvian grains (wheat, buckwheat, barley, oats and rye) from the year 2006 and 120 samples from the year 2007 were analyzed for Aspergillus ssp. mycotoxin-sterigmatocystin (STC) content. 13.

Analytical method for the determination of sterigmatocystin in grains using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray positive ionization.

A sensitive LC-electrospray positive ionization (ESI+) MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of the Aspergillus mycotoxin, sterigmatocystin, in grains at levels down to less than 0.5 microg/kg. Recovery was found to be greater than 97% for wheat grains.