Determination of Zearalenone and Its Derivatives in Feed by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry with Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup and Isotope Dilution
Sunlin Luo, Ying Liu, Qi Guo, Xiong Wang, Ying Tian, Wenjun Yang, Juntao Li, Yiqiang Chen
Abstract
In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was established for the determination of zearalenone and its five derivatives in feed, including zearalanone, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol, α-zearalenol, and β-zearalenol. An effective immunoaffinity column was prepared for sample purification, which was followed by the silane derivatization of the eluate after an immunoaffinity chromatography analysis for target compounds by GC-MS. Matrix effects were corrected by an isotope internal standard of zearalenone in this method. The six analytes had a good linear relationship in the range of 2-500 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were less than 1.5 μg/kg and 5.0 μg/kg, respectively. The average spike recoveries for the six feed matrices ranged from 89.6% to 112.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 12.6%. Twenty actual feed samples were analyzed using the established method, and at least one target was detected. The established GC-MS method was proven to be reliable and suitable for the determination of zearalenone and its derivatives in feed.