title: Analysis of Canadian and imported beers for Fusarium mycotoxins by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: A sensitive method was developed for the determination of deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), alpha-zearalenol (alpha-ZEL), beta-zearalenol (beta-ZEL) and zearalenone (ZEN) in beer by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of their heptafluorobutyrate (HFB) derivatives. Recoveries averaging 90-103% were obtained from beers spiked with each mycotoxin in the 5-20 ng/ml concentration range. Limits of detection were 0.1-1.5 ng DON/ml, 0.01-0.3 ng NIV/ml, 2.5-3 ng alpha- and beta-ZEL/ml, and 1.5-2 ng ZEN/ml. Twenty-nine of 50 samples of Canadian and imported beer surveyed were found to contain DON; of these nine contained greater than 5 ng/ml (up to 50 ng/ml). The identity of DON was confirmed by response ratios at m/z 670 and m/z 884 for the HFB derivative and m/z 497 and m/z 512 for the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivative. NIV was also detected in three beer samples (0.1-0.84 ng/ml) but no alpha-ZEL, beta-ZEL or ZEN was found.
authors.affiliation: Food Research Division, Health and Welfare Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kanhere
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D001515:Beer / Q000032:analysis*; D002170:Canada; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005670:Fusarium; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins