456
Views
19
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

LC-MS/MS method for the determination of the fungal pigment bikaverin in maize kernels as an indicator of ear rot

, &
Pages 1736-1742 | Received 05 Jan 2012, Accepted 16 Jun 2012, Published online: 30 Jul 2012
 

Abstract

Bikaverin is a polyketide-derived pigment produced by multiple species of the fungus Fusarium, some of which can cause ear and kernel rot of maize. A method was developed for the analysis of bikaverin by high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The quantitative nature of the LC-MS/MS method was demonstrated over a range of concentrations of bikaverin in maize. For spike-recovery experiments utilising maize spiked with bikaverin to a level 5 µg g−1 of maize, the measured recovery (%) was 70.6 ± 10.4. Based on the utilised method, the limit of detection (based on a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 3) was better than 0.5 µg g−1 from bikaverin spiked into uncontaminated ground maize. Further, the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 3 µg g−1 (based on S/N > 10) from bikaverin spiked into ground maize. The method was applied to assess contamination of maize with bikaverin following inoculation of developing maize ears with Fusarium verticillioides under agricultural field conditions.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the technical contributions made by John Bobel, Debbie Shane, Crystal Probyn and Marcie Moore. Disclaimer: Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.