Simple methodology for the determination of mycotoxins in pseudocereals, spelt and rice

Nowadays the interest and consumption of pseudocereals is increasing due to their nutritional properties. Like cereals and oilseeds, pseudocereal seeds are susceptible to fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination; however these matrices have received little attention in literature. A sensitive, simple and rapid method for the determination of fifteen mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2, nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, fusarenon-X, T-2 and HT-2 toxin, citrinin, sterigmatocystin and zearalenone) in pseudocereals (buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth) has been developed and validated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS), using a QuEChERS-based sample treatment. This study also includes cereals such as spelt and white, brown and red rice. Matrix-matched calibration curves were established and limits of quantification were below the maximum contents established by EU regulation in cereals. The precision (repeatability and intermediate precision) was lower than 12% in all cases and recoveries were between 60.0% and 103.5%, fulfilling the current legislation. Finally, the content of aflatoxin B1 found in a red rice sample was confirmed by comparison of the result obtained by using immunoaffinity columns for extraction and clean-up.