Ultra-sensitive determination of Ochratoxin A in coffee and tea samples using a novel semi-automated in-syringe based coagulant-assisted fast mycotoxin extraction (FaMEx) technique coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS

Karthikeyan Prakasham; Swapnil Gurrani; Jentaie Shiea; Ming-Tsang Wu; Chia-Fang Wu; Yu-Chia Lin; Bongee Tsai; Po-Chin Huang; Gangadhar Andaluri; Vinoth Kumar Ponnusamy

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.135951

Ultra-sensitive determination of Ochratoxin A in coffee and tea samples using a novel semi-automated in-syringe based coagulant-assisted fast mycotoxin extraction (FaMEx) technique coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS

Food Chem. 2023 Aug 15:417:135951. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.135951. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ PhD Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine (College of Medicine), & Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
² Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung City 804, Taiwan.
³ PhD Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine (College of Medicine), & Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan.
⁴ International Master Program of Translational Medicine, National United University, Miaoli, Taiwan.
⁵ Research and Development Division, Great Engineering Technology (GETECH) Corporation Ltd., No. 392, Yucheng Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City 813 Taiwan.
⁶ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan.
⁷ Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States.
⁸ PhD Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine (College of Medicine), & Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan; Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung City 804, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital (KMUH), Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan. Electronic address: kumar@kmu.edu.tw.

PMID: 36934712
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.135951

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrated a novel semi-automated in-syringe-based coagulant-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (IS-CGA-LLME) as fast mycotoxin extraction (FaMEx) technique coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography connected with a tandem-mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) for the quantification of mycotoxin (Ochratoxin A, OT-A) in coffee and tea samples. IS-CGA-LLME is a three-step extraction process that includes extraction of OT-A from sample matrix using low-volume solvent extraction, then the extractant was cleaned-up using a coagulation process, and finally, the decolorized/matrix removed sample solution was processed for LLME for target analyte's pre-concentration. The final extractant was analyzed using UHPLC-MS/MS for OT-A quantification. Under the optimized experimental conditions, highly sensitive detection and quantification limits were obtained at 0.001 and 0.003 ng g^-1 for OT-A with excellent extraction recovery (93-111%) and precision <10%. These results proved that the developed method is a simple, highly sensitive, semi-automated, low-matrix effect and efficient procedure for the determination of mycotoxins in food samples.

Keywords: Coagulation-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Microextraction; Coffee and tea samples; Fast Mycotoxin Extraction; LC-MS/MS; Mycotoxins; Ochratoxin A.

MeSH terms

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods
Coffee / chemistry
Mycotoxins* / analysis
Syringes
Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods
Tea

Substances

Mycotoxins
ochratoxin A
Coffee
Tea