Multi Mycotoxin Determination in Dried Beef Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Dried beef meat, a locally processed meat from the cow, is vulnerable to contamination by mycotoxins, due to its exposure to the environmental microbiota during processing, drying, and point of sale. In this study, 108 dried beef samples were examined for the occurrence of 17 mycotoxins. Samples were extracted for mycotoxins using solid-liquid phase extraction method, while liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) via the dilute and shoot method was used to analyze the mycotoxins. Aflatoxin was found in 66% of the samples (average value of 23.56 µg/kg). AFB1 had a mean value of 105.4 µg/kg, AFB2 mean value of 6.92 µg/kg, and AFG1 and AFG2 had an average mean value of 40.49 µg/kg and 2.60 µg/kg, respectively. The total aflatoxins exceed the EU (4 µg/kg) permissible level in food. The α-Zea average mean value was 113.82 µg/kg for the various selling locations. Also, cyclopiazonic acid had an average mean value of 51.99 µg/kg, while some of the beef samples were contaminated with more than nine different mycotoxins. The occurrence of these mycotoxins in dried beef is an indication of possible exposure of its consumers to the dangers of mycotoxins that are usually associated with severe health problems. This result shows that there are mycotoxin residues in the beef sold in Ekiti State markets.

Variation of Fusarium Free, Masked, and Emerging Mycotoxin Metabolites in Maize from Agriculture Regions of South Africa.

The presence of mycotoxins in cereal grain is a very important food safety issue with the occurrence of masked mycotoxins extensively investigated in recent years. This study investigated the variation of different Fusarium metabolites (including the related regulated, masked, and emerging mycotoxin) in maize from various agriculture regions of South Africa. The relationship between the maize producing regions, the maize type, as well as the mycotoxins was established. A total of 123 maize samples was analyzed by a LC-MS/MS multi-mycotoxin method. The results revealed that all maize types exhibited a mixture of free, masked, and emerging mycotoxins contamination across the regions with an average of 5 and up to 24 out of 42 investigated Fusarium mycotoxins, including 1 to 3 masked forms at the same time. Data obtained show that fumonisin B1, B2, B3, B4, and A1 were the most prevalent mycotoxins and had maximum contamination levels of 8908, 3383, 990, 1014, and 51.5 µg/kg, respectively. Deoxynivalenol occurred in 50% of the samples with a mean concentration of 152 µg/kg (max 1380 µg/kg). Thirty-three percent of the samples were contaminated with zearalenone at a mean concentration of 13.6 µg/kg (max 146 µg/kg). Of the masked mycotoxins, DON-3-glucoside occurred at a high incidence level of 53%. Among emerging toxins, moniliformin, fusarinolic acid, and beauvericin showed high occurrences at 98%, 98%, and 83%, and had maximum contamination levels of 1130, 3422, and 142 µg/kg, respectively. Significant differences in the contamination pattern were observed between the agricultural regions and maize types.