title: Determination of mycotoxin exposure in Germany using an LC-MS/MS multibiomarker approach.
abstract: METHODS
  In this study, the exposure of a German population (n = 101) to mycotoxins was assessed using an LC-MS/MS urinary multibiomarker approach. Food consumption of the participants was documented with a food frequency questionnaire to correlate mycotoxin exposure with individual nutritional habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of 23 urinary biomarkers including trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol (DON), DON-3-glucuronide (DON-3-GlcA), T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin (HT-2, HT-2-toxin-4-glucuronide (HT-2-GlcA), fumonisins (fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2), aflatoxins (aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin G2, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin M1), zearalenone and derivatives (zearalanone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, zearalenone-14-O-glucuronide, zearalanone-14-O-glucuronide, α-zearalenol-14-O-glucuronide/β-zearalenol-14-O-glucuronide), ochratoxin A, ochratoxin alpha, enniatin B and dihydrocitrinone was evaluated using a validated, sensitive "dilute and shoot"-LC-MS/MS method applying Scheduled MRM(TM) technology. Six mycotoxins and urinary metabolites were detected (DON, DON-3-GlcA, zearalenone-14-O-glucuronide, T-2 toxin, enniatin B, and dihydrocitrinone) in 87% of the samples in single- or co-occurence. Only DON and DON-3-GlcA were detectable in quantifiable amounts. A provisional mean daily intake of 0.52 μg DON/kg body weight was calculated. No statistical evidence for the correlation of staple food intake and urinary biomarker concentration could be determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest a low everyday exposure of the investigated German population to mycotoxins, but reveal peak exposures above the widely accepted tolerable daily intake to DON in parts of the population.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany; NRW Graduate School of Chemistry, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerding
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Humpf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000652:urine; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D037341:Fumonisins / Q000652:urine; D005858:Germany; D020719:Glucuronides / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000652:urine*; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000652:urine; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013605:T-2 Toxin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000652:urine; D055815:Young Adult; D015025:Zearalenone / Q000652:urine; D015029:Zeranol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D037341:Fumonisins; D020719:Glucuronides; D009183:Mycotoxins; D009793:Ochratoxins; D014255:Trichothecenes; C573134:deoxynivalenol-3-glucuronide; C029659:zearalenol; C056934:fumonisin B2; C000426:5-chloro-8-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-3-methylisocoumarin-7-carboxylic acid; C025589:ochratoxin A; C029754:aflatoxin G2; C056933:fumonisin B1; D015025:Zearalenone; D015029:Zeranol; C029753:aflatoxin B2; D013605:T-2 Toxin; C007262:deoxynivalenol; C012351:HT-2 toxin
keywords: Exposure assessment; Mass spectrometry; Mycotoxins; Scheduled MRMTM; Urinary biomarker