ABSTRACT
The contamination levels of beauvericin and four enniatins, A, A1, B and B1, in 207 samples of wheat flour and corn grits on the Japanese market were determined by an analytical method based on LC-MS/MS. The toxins were extracted from samples with acetonitrile–water (85:15, v/v) and then purified with C18 cartridges. The method was validated in a single laboratory using spiked samples at two levels; the recovery of the five toxins ranged from 91.1% to 113.8%. Enniatin B was frequently detected in imported wheat flour (81.8%) and domestic wheat flour (85.6%), and the highest concentration of enniatin B was present in a domestic wheat sample (633 μg kg−1). In corn grits, beauvericin was found in 34% of the samples, but enniatins were not detected at all. The maximum concentration of beauvericin in corn grits was 26.1 μg kg−1. Deoxynivalenol and nivalenol in the same samples were determined by a method using an immunoaffinity column. Co-contamination of deoxynivalenol and enniatins was observed in 61% of the imported wheat samples and in 58% of the domestic wheat samples. These results suggest the need for a risk assessment for cyclic depsipeptide mycotoxins in Japan and a study on the synergistic effect of deoxynivalenol and enniatins.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplemental data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.