Mass spectrometry strategies for mycotoxins analysis in European beers

In this work, an existent solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure was used to study the occurrence of mycotoxins in different European beers. HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and ultra high resolution mass analyser have been optimized for the analysis of 18 mycotoxins: the methods were validated according to the EU Commission Decision 2002/657/EC guidelines. In this sense, matrix-matched calibration was performed for each type of beer, obtaining an effective quantification. The recoveries ranged from 63 to 91% and repeatability and reproducibility expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD%) were lower than 17%. On one hand, HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap® was used for unambiguous identification of target mycotoxins, as well as for screening non-target mycotoxins, such as enniatins, fusaproliferin and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside. On the other hand, the quantification was carried out using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS instrument. At the end, Ochratoxin A, fumonisins, HT-2 and T-2 toxins were detected and quantified in European beers. Moreover, pale lager beer showed higher mycotoxin incidence than the other studied beers.