Validation and measurement uncertainty of GC-MS quantification method for nicotine in dried mushrooms using QuEChERS extraction

ABSTRACT

Nicotine is an alkaloid and a secondary plant metabolite that has been used as an insecticide. Despite their widespread application, the EU banned the use of nicotine-containing pesticides in December 2008. However, studies in Europe have found nicotine in mushrooms. Nicotine has also been detected in wild mushrooms, so there are other causes of contamination as well as pesticide. This study reports the development of GC-MS method for quantitatively analysing nicotine in mushrooms. This method provides recoveries of 89.5–92.5%, intra-day precisions of 0.32–0.85%, and inter-day precisions of 0.73–2.36%, with limits of detection and quantification of 0.38 and 1.15 μg kg-1, respectively. The relative expanded uncertainty result of 2.8–4.0% complies with CODEX requirements. The method was successfully applied to eleven mushroom samples in which nicotine was detected at levels of 0.033–1.713 mg kg-1. Therefore, this method is suitable for the quantification of nicotine in dried mushrooms to ensure pre-emptive food safety.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Nicotine
• insecticide
• mushrooms
• gas chromatography mass spectrometry
• measurement uncertainty
• quantification

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Research Program funded by National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, Republic of Korea.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Research Program funded by National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, Republic of Korea [National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service].