Analysis of Cereulide in Reconstituted Infant Formula Using Triple Quadrupole LC-MS/MS

User Benefits

- Accurate quantification is achieved even at the strict safety levels of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). - Highly accurate and reproducible quantification without an internal standard was confirmed for reconstituted infant formula, using pretreatment methods based on ISO 18465 and the QuEChERS approach.

Introduction

Cereulide is a heat-stable emetic toxin produced by Bacillus cereus. Since even the ingestion of small amounts raises concerns about health effects, appropriate management of food is required. In particular, infants may experience vomiting and diarrhea from ingesting very small amounts. Therefore, the safety requirements for infant formula are extremely high, necessitating analytical methods capable of reliable detection and quantification even at low concentration ranges. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proposed an acute reference dose (ARfD) of 0.014 μg/kg body weight for infants in a rapid risk assessment, indicating that cereulide concentrations exceeding 0.054 μg/L in reconstituted infant formula may surpass safety thresholds. However, since infant formula is a complex matrix rich in lipids and proteins, selecting an appropriate sample preparation method is crucial. This Application News introduces an example of analyzing cereulide in infant formula using triple quadrupole LC-MS/MS, comparing sample preparation methods based on ISO 18465 and the QuEChERS approach. Spike-and-recovery tests yielded good recoveries for both methods, but the QuEChERS approach demonstrated a higher recovery rate.

May 19, 2026 GMT