Quantitation by HPLC and Identification by LC/MS for Total Aflatoxins in Food

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that are extremely carcinogenic and acutely toxic. In Japan, foods in which the total aflatoxins (sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2 aflatoxins) are detected at levels exceeding 10 μg/kg are in violation of Article 6, Item 2 of the Food Sanitation Act.Previously, in Application News articles L422, L428 and L430, we introduced examples of simultaneous analysis of these 4 substances (B1, B2, G1 and G2) using HPLC and UHPLC. In accordance with the test method specified in the notification of August 16, 2011, after pretreatment using an immunoaffinity column, we conducted (1) quantitation using an HPLC system compliant with the test method, (2) identification using a LC/MS system compl iant wi th the tes t method, and (3) rapid quantitation and identification using the Nexera UHPLC. Here, we present these analyses in addition to the results of the validation.