Simultaneous multi-mycotoxin determination in maize and poultry feeds from Brazil by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

A multi-mycotoxin method based on High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with tandem Mass Spectrometry detection (HPLC-MS /MS) was applied to investigate the occurrence of toxic fungal metabolites in samples collected from a poultry feed factory and integrated poultry farms, in Brazil. A total of 119 samples were analyzed including 38 maize grain samples collected from the factory reception, 36 maize grain samples and 9 maize by- product samples collected during the factory processing, and 36 poultry feed samples collected from poultry farms. Twenty mycotoxins were detected and quantified in the investigated samples: aflatoxins B 1 , B2, G 1 , G2, fumonisins B 1 , B2 and B3, hydrolyzed fumonisin B 1 , zearalenone, agroclavine, chanoclavine, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, enniatin A, A I , B, B,, beauvericin, kojic acid and moniliformin. All samples were contaminated with fumonisins B 1 , B2 and B3. Contamination levels were low (near the LOD) most of toxins, except for FB I and FB 2 that reach 6,000 mg.mU l and 2,450 mg.mL"' in maize and 1,120 mg.mL"' and 54 mg.mL" 3 in feed, respectively. This is the first study dealing with agroclavine, chanoclavine, enniatin A, A 1 , B, B 1 , beauvericin and kojic acid contamination of maize and poultry feeds from Brazil.