Automated Extraction, Clean-up, and Determination of Mycotoxins in Food

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain species of molds, primarily Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium, that can contaminate food and feed products, including grains, nuts, and spices. Because mycotoxins pose serious health risks, including carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, and immunosuppressive effects, monitoring their presence in food is critical for ensuring public health and compliance with strict international regulations. The analytical determination of mycotoxins is typically performed by specialized food safety and analytical chemistry laboratories, which use liquid extraction and cleanup steps to isolate the target compounds from complex food matrices. This is followed by LCMS/MS determination. Automation of the sample preparation steps improves reproducibility, reduces human error, increases throughput, and ensures reliable results across large sample batches, making it essential for analytical laboratories focused on food safety.

This work shows that the GERSTEL MultiPurpose Sampler (MPS) roboticPRO sampler can be used to automate the extraction and determination of mycotoxins in various food commodities. The entire liquid-liquid extraction, cleanup, and subsequent Analysis by LC-MS/MS is automated, providing critically needed highthroughput analysis for mycotoxins. Using the GERSTEL MPS roboticPRO sampler, syringe transfer of all liquids involved in the liquid-liquid extraction and the controlled mixing, centrifugation, and solid phase extraction of the samples are performed. The resulting extracts are introduced into the Agilent Ultivo LC-MS/MS instrument for detection and quantification.