title: Survey of Alternaria toxin contamination in food from the German market, using a rapid HPLC-MS/MS approach.
abstract: A HPLC-MS/MS-based method for the quantification of nine mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genus Alternaria in various food matrices was developed. The method relies on a single-step extraction, followed by dilution of the raw extract and direct analysis. In combination with an analysis time per sample of 12 min, the sample preparation is cost-effective and easy to handle. The method covers alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), altenuene (ALT), iso-altenuene (isoALT), tentoxin (TEN), altertoxin-I (ATX-I), and the AAL toxins TA1 and TA2. Some Alternaria toxins which are either not commercially available or very expensive, namely AOH, AME, ALT, isoALT, and ATX-I, were isolated as reference compounds from fungal cultures. The method was extensively validated for tomato products, bakery products, sunflower seeds, fruit juices, and vegetable oils. AOH, AME, TeA, and TEN were found in quantifiable amounts and 92.1% of all analyzed samples (n = 96) showed low level contamination with one or more Alternaria toxins. Based on the obtained results, the average daily exposure to Alternaria toxins in Germany was calculated.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany.|NRW Graduate School of Chemistry, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, 48149, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hickert
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Seyma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ersen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 45, 48149, Münster, Germany. humpf@wwu.de.|NRW Graduate School of Chemistry, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, 48149, Münster, Germany. humpf@wwu.de.
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Humpf
mesh_terms: D000528:Alternaria / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005858:Germany; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins
keywords: Alternaria; Exposure; Isolation; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Multi method; Mycotoxin