title: Ergot alkaloids in rye flour determined by solid-phase cation-exchange and high-pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.
abstract: Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that are undesirable contaminants of cereal products, particularly rye. A method was developed employing clean-up by cation-exchange solid-phase extraction, separation by high-performance liquid chromatography under alkaline conditions and fluorescence detection. It is capable of separating and quantifying both C8-isomers of ergocornine, alpha-ergocryptine, ergocristine, ergonovine, and ergotamine. The average recovery was 61% +/- 10% with limits of detection from 0.2 to 1.1 microg kg(-1). Twenty-four unknown rye flour samples from Danish mills contained on average 46 microg kg(-1) with a maximum content of 234 microg kg(-1). The most common ergot alkaloids were ergotamine and alpha-ergocryptine including their C8-isomers. A total of 54% of the ergot alkaloids were detected as C(8)-S isomers.
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Biocentrum-DTU, Søltofts Plads-Building 221, DK-2800 kgs, Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Storm
authors.forename: P Have
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: H C B
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003718:Denmark; D004873:Ergolines / Q000032:analysis; D004874:Ergonovine / Q000032:analysis; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis*; D004878:Ergotamine / Q000032:analysis; D005433:Flour / Q000032:analysis; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D012434:Secale; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D004873:Ergolines; D004876:Ergot Alkaloids; C100270:ergocristine; C100269:ergocryptine; C100271:ergocornine; D004878:Ergotamine; D004874:Ergonovine