An Occurrence Study of Mycotoxins in Plant-Based Beverages Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Mycotoxins are toxic mold metabolites that can adversely affect human and animal health. More than 400 mycotoxins have been identified so far. Cereals and nuts are the predominant mycotoxin-contaminated foodstuffs.

Critical Evaluation of the Methods for the Characterization of the Degree of Sulfonation for Electron Beam Irradiated and Non-Irradiated Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Membranes.

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) materials are promising candidates for replacing Nafion™ in applications such as proton exchange membrane (PEM) and direct methanol fuel cells. SPEEK membranes have several advantages such as low cost, thermal and radiation stability and controllable physicochemical and mechanical properties, which depend on the degree of sulfonation (DS). Commercial PEEK was homogenously sulfonated up to a DS of 60-90% and the membranes were prepared using a solvent casting method.

Mycotoxins in cereals and pulses harvested in Latvia by nanoLC-Orbitrap MS.

Twenty-seven mycotoxins in unprocessed cereals ( = 110) and pulses ( = 23) harvested in Latvia were analysed by nanoflow liquid chromatography combined with Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. One or more mycotoxins were found in 99% of the cereals and 78% of the pulses. Deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and T-2 and HT-2 toxins were prevalent in 9 to 86% of the cereals, mostly below their maximum levels as set by the European regulations.

Determination of Fungi and Multi-Class Mycotoxins in and Herbal Teas and Dietary Exposure Assessment.

In this paper, a study of fungal and multi-mycotoxin contamination in 140 and 26 herbal teas marketed in Latvia is discussed. The analysis was performed using two-dimensional liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (2D-LC-TOF-MS) and MALDI-TOF-MS. In total, 87% of the tea samples tested positive for 32 fungal species belonging to 17 genera, with the total enumeration of moulds ranging between 1.

The Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Mycotoxins, Biogenic Amines, and Heavy Metals in Mould-Ripened Blue Cheeses.

The occurrence and dietary exposure assessment of 16 mycotoxins, 6 biogenic amines (BAs), and 13 metallic elements in blue-veined cheeses ( = 46) is reported. Co-occurrence of mycophenolic acid (≤599 µg·kg) with roquefortine C (≤5454 µg·kg) was observed in 63% of the tested cheeses, while BAs were frequently present at concentrations between 0.2 and 717 mg kg.

Development of a Rapid Method for the Determination of Phenolic Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.

Development of a new comprehensive method based on one-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap-HRMS) for the determination of eight phenolic compounds in dark chocolate is demonstrated. The study focuses on the optimization of sample preparation, chromatographic separation and Orbitrap-HRMS detection parameters to adjust selectivity and sensitivity of the method. The LLE mixture of formic acid-water-acetonitrile (2:58:40, v/v) and hexane at the component ratio of 1:1 (v/v) was applied for sample preparation.

Recent Applications of Carbonaceous Nanosorbents in Solid Phase Extraction for the Determination of Pesticides in Food Samples.

This article covers recent trends of carbonaceous nanomaterial supported solid phase extraction for the liquid and gas chromatography analysis of pesticides in food samples. Several advanced carbonaceous nanosorbents have been reported over the previous decade for pesticide extraction, such as graphene derivatives modified by combination with silica, amines, polymers, and/or magnetic nanoparticles. The advances in this field have opened possibilities for using neat or modified carbon nanotubes or graphene-type sorbents for the pre-concentration of polar or nonpolar pesticides by solid phase extraction (SPE) or micro-SPE methods or to apply such nanomaterials for the removal of matrix components by dispersive SPE during sample clean-up.

Mycotoxins, pesticides and toxic metals in commercial spices and herbs.

A total of 300 samples representing six condiments (black pepper, basil, oregano, nutmeg, paprika, and thyme) were analysed for 11 mycotoxins, 134 pesticides and 4 heavy metals by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Mycotoxins were detected in 4%, 10% and 30% of all nutmeg, basil and thyme samples, respectively. The residues of 24 pesticides were detected in 59% of the analysed condiments.

The application of phospholipid removal columns and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry for quantification of multi-class antibiotics in aquaculture samples.

In this study a robust and sensitive method based on a proposed sample purification procedure, using zirconia-coated Phree™ columns and analysis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry are presented for the assessment of multi-class antibiotics in farmed fish species. The sample preparation procedure benefited from combined precipitation of proteins and selective removal of phospholipids by Phree™ columns, resulting in a high sensitivity of the method (LOQ 0.3-9mgkg(-1)).

Development and Validation of New Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of Melatonin in Fruits.

A new reliable analytical method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry was developed for the analysis of melatonin (MEL) in food products. In-house validation was performed using deuterated melatonin (MEL-d4) as an internal standard to ensure method selectivity and accuracy and to evaluate the efficiency of a robust ethyl acetate extraction technique used for sample preparation. The analysis of 18 tart cherry varieties and 28 tomato varieties was performed at optimized conditions.