Biomonitoring using dried blood spots: detection of ochratoxin A and its degradation product 2'R-ochratoxin A in blood from coffee drinkers.

Scope: In this study, human exposure to the mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) and its thermal degradation product 2'R-ochratoxin A (2'R-OTA, previously named as 14R-Ochratoxin A [22]) through coffee consumption was assessed. LC-MS/MS and the dried blood spot (DBS) technique were used for the analysis of blood samples from coffee and noncoffee drinkers (n = 50), and food frequency questionnaires were used to document coffee consumption.

Methods And Results: For the detection of OTA and 2'R-OTA in blood, a new sensitive and efficient sample preparation method based on DBS was established and validated.