Development and comparison of two multiresidue methods for mycotoxin analysis in processed products from maize using LC-MS/MS

• Grant number: 14/21178-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Effective date (Start): April 24, 2015
• Effective date (End): October 22, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Valdemar Luiz Tornisielo
• Grantee: Graziela Cristina Rossi Moura Andrade
• Supervisor: Encarnacion Moyano Morcillo
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/05748-3 - Development and comparison of two multiresidues methods for mycotoxin analysis in processed products from maize using LC-MS/MS, BP.PD

Abstract

Contamination of food by mycotoxins can cause serious concern due to their genotoxic and carcinogenic potential effects, and also the possible additive or synergistic effects that may result from their combination in the same food. Because of concern food safety, several methods for mycotoxins detection have been developed, however "masked forms" mycotoxins, which differ in polarity and molecular mass of the original mycotoxins are not identified. For screening "masked forms" liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (Quadrupole- Orbitrap- Mass Spectrometer) is the method of choice. This system combines the identification of the precursor ions at high resolution thus providing accurate mass and the structural information given by tandem mass spectrometry. These tools are essential for the unambiguous identification of target and non-target mycotoxins, as well as identifying non-target mycotoxins in complex matrices at low concentration levels. In this context, this project aims to identify and quantify unequivocally the target mycotoxins found in popcorn samples and in kids breakfast cereal from maize and perform a non-target screening mycotoxins "masked forms": zearalenone-4-glucopyranoside, zearalenone-4-sulfate, ±-zearalenol, ²-zearalenol, neosolaniol-glucoside and diacetoxyscirpenol-glucoside. In addition an objective of the project is to provide technical training in working with advanced mass spectrometry techniques such as the high resolution system Orbitrap. These techniques are analytical tools required to develop methodology for mycotoxin analysis in the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology. (AU)