Risk screening of mycotoxins and their derivatives in dairy products using a stable isotope dilution assay and LC–MS/MS
Shuai Yang, Yunjing Luo, Lei Mu, Youyou Yang, Yongtan Yang
Abstract
Abstract An liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method coupled with a stable isotope dilution assay was established for the simultaneous detection of 17 mycotoxins and their derivatives (aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , G 2 , M 1 , and M 2 ; fumonisins B 1 and B 2 ; ochratoxin A; zearalenone; zearalanone; α‐zearalanol; α‐zearalenol; T‐2 toxin; deoxynivalenol; deepoxy‐deoxynivalenol; and sterigmatocystin) in milk and dairy products. The mycotoxins were extracted with acidified acetonitrile and the lipids were removed using a Captiva EMR‐lipid column. The average recoveries of the target compounds from samples spiked at three different concentrations were 67–102%, and the relative standard deviations of the peak areas were less than 10%. Limits of quantification (S/N = 10) of 0.004–1.25 μg/kg were achieved, which are significantly lower than the maximum levels allowed in various countries and regions for each regulated mycotoxin. Milk and yogurt products from local markets and e‐commercial platforms were analyzed using the optimized method. The screening showed that aflatoxin M 1 , deoxynivalenol, fumonisins B 1 and B 2 , and zearalenone could be found in milk and yogurt products, especially those products also containing grains or jujube ingredients, indicating that there is a risk of mycotoxins in dairy products.