A method of analysis for T-2 toxin and neosolaniol by UPLC-MS/MS in apple fruit inoculated with Trichothecium roseum

Abstract

Trichothecenes are one of the most important groups of mycotoxins produced by Trichothecium roseum, which causes core rot of apple. A reliable and sensitive method was developed and successfully applied for the rapid detection of trichothecenes including T-2 toxin and neosolaniol in harvested apple using UPLC-MS/MS. After the extraction of the two mycotoxins from the apple matrix with methanol/water (80/20, v/v), the concentrated extracts were cleaned-up by PriboFast M270 columns and then analysed by UPLC-MS/MS. T-2 toxin and neosolaniol were effectively separated as unique peaks. The validity of this method was established by its linearity (R² ≥ 0.9995), precision (relative standard deviation ≤ 3.6%), accuracy, selectivity, limit of detection of 2–5 μg kg^–1, limit of quantification of 5–10 μg kg^–1 and average recovery of 73–96%. Levels of T-2 toxin were found in the range 7.1–128.4 µg kg^–1 in the core rot lesion of three cultivars apple (cvs. Red Delicious, Fuji and Ralls). T-2 was detected not only in the lesion, but also in the tissue without any disease symptoms. However, neosolaniol was only detected in the lesion on ‘Red Delicious’ apples. In addition, the concentration of T-2 toxin in the susceptible cultivar (cv. Fuji) was significantly higher than that in the resistant one (cv. Ralls). This method proved to be suitable at detecting T-2 and neosolaniol simultaneously in apples infected with T. roseum.

Keywords:

• T-2 toxin
• neosolaniol
• Trichothecium roseum
• apple
• analysis

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dr Yidong Ran and Dr Weihong Ji for their editing and comments made on the draft of the manuscript.