Fate of Free and Conjugated Mycotoxins within the Production of Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS).

Contamination of feed with mycotoxins represents a serious worldwide problem concerning animal health and related economic losses. The present paper provides comprehensive knowledge about the fate of mycotoxins during the production of distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The study was carried out using naturally infected maize material in five repetitions. For mycotoxin analysis, a QuEChERS-like ("Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe") isolation approach and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used. A significant increase of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its glycosylated form, DON-3-glucoside (DON-3-Glc), was observed during the first part of fermentation, when hydrolytic enzymes were added. After yeast addition, the total DON content rapidly decreased. An opposite trend was observed for fumonisin B1 (FB1), in which yeast addition contributed to increase of its content. Further considerable change in mycotoxin content occurred during the drying step, in which approximately two-thirds of the original content was lost.

Mycotoxins in Plant-Based Dietary Supplements: Hidden Health Risk for Consumers.

Mycotoxin contamination of dietary supplements represents a possible risk for human health, especially in the case of products intended for people suffering from certain health conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this problem based on analyses of a wide set of herbal-based dietary supplements intended for various purposes: (i) treatment of liver diseases (milk thistle); (ii) reduction of menopause effects (red clover, flax seed, and soy); and (iii) preparations for general health support (green barley, nettle, goji berries, yucca, etc.) The analytical method including 57 mycotoxins was based on a QuEChERS-like (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) approach and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The main mycotoxins determined were Fusarium trichothecenes, zearalenone and enniatins, and Alternaria mycotoxins. Co-occurrence of enniatins, HT-2/T-2 toxins, and Alternaria toxins was observed in many cases. The highest mycotoxin concentrations were found in milk thistle-based supplements (up to 37 mg/kg in the sum).

A rugged high-throughput analytical approach for the determination and quantification of multiple mycotoxins in complex feed matrices.

We have developed and optimized high throughput method for reliable detection and quantification of 56 Fusarium, Alternaria, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Claviceps mycotoxins in a wide range of animal feed samples represented by cereals, complex compound feeds, extracted oilcakes, fermented silages, malt sprouts or dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS). From three tested extraction approaches (acetonitrile, acetonitrile/water, and QuEChERS), the QuEChERS-based method (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) was selected as the best in terms of analytes recoveries and low matrix effects. For separation and detection of target mycotoxins, method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with sensitive tandem mass spectrometry (U-HPLC-MS/MS) was employed. With regards to a high complexity of most of investigated feed samples, optimization of extraction/purification process was needed in the first phase to keep the method as rugged as possible. A special attention was paid to the pH of extraction solvents, especially with regard to the pH-sensitive silages. Additionally, purification of the acetonitrile extract by dispersive solid phase clean-up was assessed. Significant elimination of lipidic compounds was observed when using C18 silica sorbent. Matrix co-extracts were characterized by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (U-HPLC-HRMS). Large variability of matrix effects depending on the nature of examined feed was demonstrated in depth on a broad set of samples. Simple and unbiased strategies for their compensation were suggested.