Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation and Improvement of Extraction Methods for the Analysis of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 from Naturally Contaminated Maize

  • Published:
Food Analytical Methods Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The extraction procedure for aflatoxin determination in maize is based on a methanol–water (8 + 2 v/v) or an acetone–water (85 + 15 v/v) mixture. Initially, the extraction efficiency of two solvents was evaluated for each aflatoxin. Different results were obtained for highly contaminated maize: significantly higher levels of aflatoxin B1 were obtained by acetone–water, on the contrary higher levels of aflatoxin G2 were achieved by methanol–water. Then, acetone–water mixtures in different proportions (7 + 3, 6 + 4 and 5 + 5 v/v) were tested to improve the extraction of aflatoxin G2. Applying these extraction mixtures, the values both of aflatoxin B1 and of other aflatoxins were generally higher compared to those obtained by acetone–water 85 + 15; moreover, acetone–water (6 + 4) and (7 + 3) showed the best extraction efficiency for all aflatoxins.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbas H, Williams W, Windham G, Pringle H, Xie W, Shier W (2002) Aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination of commercial corn (Zea mays) hybrids in Mississippi. J Agric Food Chem 50(18):5246–5254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali N, Sardjono YA, Yoshizawa T (1998) Natural co-occurrence of aflatoxins and Fusarium mycotoxins (fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and zearalenone) in corn from Indonesia. Food Addit Contam Part A 15(4):377–384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arranz I, Sizoo E, Van Egmond H, Kroeger K, Legarda TM, Burdaspal P, Reif K, Stroka J (2006) Determination of aflatoxin B1 in medical herbs: interlaboratory study. J AOAC Int 89:595–605

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bradburn N, Coker DR, Jewers K, Tomlins IK (1990) Evaluation of the ability of different concentrations of aqueous acetone, aqueous methanol and aqueous acetone:methanol (1:1) to extract aflatoxin from naturally contaminated maize. Chromatographia 29:435–440

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bradburn N, Coker RD, Blunden G (1995) A comparative study of solvent extraction efficiency and the performance of immunoaffinity and solid phase columns on the determination of aflatoxin B1. Food Chem 52:179–185

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brera C, Debegnach F, Minardi V, Pannunzi E, De Santis B, Miraglia M (2007) Immunoaffinity column cleanup with liquid chromatography for determination of aflatoxin B1 in corn samples: interlaboratory study. J AOAC Int 90:765–772

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities (2002) Commission directive 2002/657/EC of 12 August 2002 implementing Council Directive 96/23/EC concerning the performance of analytical methods and the interpretation of results. Off J Eur Union L 221:8–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities (2003) Commission directive 2003/100/EC of 31 October 2003 amending Annex 1 to Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesiderable substances in animal feeds. Off J Eur Union L 285:33–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities (2006a) Commission regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Off J Eur Union L 364:5–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities (2006b) Commission regulation (EC) No 401/2006 of 23 February 2006 laying down the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of the levels of mycotoxins in foodstuffs. Off J Eur Union L70:12–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallo A, Masoero F, Bertuzzi T, Piva G, Pietri A (2010) Effect of the inclusions of adsorbents on aflatoxins B1 quantification in animal feedstuffs. Food Addit Contam Part A 27(1):54–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez H, Martinez E, Pacin A, Resnik S, Sydenham E (1999) Natural co-occurrence of fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and aflatoxins in field trial corn in Argentina. Food Addit Contam Part A 16(12):565–569

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • AOAC International (2005a) Natural Toxins. Aflatoxins. Official Methods of Analysis of the International Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Gaithersburg, MD: AOAC 49: 4–38

  • AOAC International (2005b) Natural Toxins. Aflatoxins. Official Methods of Analysis of the International Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Gaithersburg, MD: AOAC 49: 3–4

  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (1993) Some naturally occurring substances: food items and constituents, heterocyclic aromatic amines and mycotoxins. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk to Humans Vol. 56: 245–395. IARC Lyon France: World Health Organization

  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (2002) Aflatoxins. IARC Monograph on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Vol. 82: 171–300. IARC, Lyon, France: World Health Organization

  • Maragos CM (2008) Extraction of Aflatoxins B1 and G1 from maize by using aqueous sodium dodecyl sulphate. J AOAC Int 91:762–767

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moller TE, Nyberg M (2004) Efficiency of different extraction solvent mixtures used in analyses of aflatoxins from a certified peanut meal reference material. Food Addit Contam, Part A 21(8):781–785

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pietri A, Bertuzzi T, Pallaroni L, Piva G (2004) Occurrence of mycotoxins and ergosterol in maize harvested over 5 years in Northern Italy. Food Addit Contam Part A 21(5):479–487

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sobolev VS (2007) Simple, rapid and inexpensive cleanup method for quantitation of aflatoxins in important agricultural products by HPLC. J Agric Food Chem 55(6):2136–2141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stroka J, Petz M, Joerissen U, Anklam E (1999) Investigation of various extractants for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 in different food and feed matrices. Food Addit Contam Part A 16(8):331–338

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vargas E, Preis R, Castro L, Silva C (2001) Co-occurrence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, zearalenone and fumonisin B1 in Brazilian corn. Food Addit Contam Part A 18(11):981–988

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the AFLARID project of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali (MIPAAF), Italy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Feed & Food Science and Nutrition Institute, Faculty of Agriculture, UCSC, Via Emilia Parmense, 84, 29122, Piacenza, Italy

    Terenzio Bertuzzi, Silvia Rastelli, Annalisa Mulazzi & Amedeo Pietri

Authors
  1. Terenzio Bertuzzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Silvia Rastelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Annalisa Mulazzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amedeo Pietri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terenzio Bertuzzi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bertuzzi, T., Rastelli, S., Mulazzi, A. et al. Evaluation and Improvement of Extraction Methods for the Analysis of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 from Naturally Contaminated Maize. Food Anal. Methods 5, 512–519 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-011-9274-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-011-9274-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation