Development of a certified reference material for the accurate determination of type B trichothecenes in corn

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 404; p. 134542
• Main Authors: Gab-Allah, Mohamed A., Getachew Lijalem, Yared, Yu, Hyeonwoo, Lee, Sunyoung, Baek, Song-Yee, Han, Jeesoo, Choi, Kihwan, Kim, Byungjoo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.03.2023
• Subjects: Certified reference material; Corn; Homogeneity and stability assessment; Isotope dilution–mass spectrometry; Type B trichothecenes; Corn; Isotope dilution–mass spectrometry; Homogeneity and stability assessment; Type B trichothecenes; Certified reference material
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134542

[Display omitted] •A new corn flour CRM for the analysis of major type B trichothecenes was developed.•The target mycotoxins were certified using an accurate ID-LC-MS/MS method.•Homogeneity and stability of the CRM were also evaluated by the ID-LC-MS/MS method.•Metrological qualities of the certified values were confirmed by their small uncertainties.•This CRM is a powerful tool for harmonizing measurements of B trichothecenes in foods. A corn flour certified reference material (KRISS CRM 108-01-011) was developed to ensure accurate and reliable measurements of type B trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol), and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside. The material was freeze-dried, ground, sieved, and well-mixed. The final produced CRM was packaged at 14 g per unit and stored at –70 °C. The certification was performed using isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS). For simultaneous characterization and homogeneity assessments, ten units were randomly selected and analyzed. The among-unit relative standard deviations were below 1 % for all mycotoxins, indicating excellent homogeneity of the CRM. The stability of the CRM was also assessed at various designated temperatures and test periods. The uncertainties of the certified values varied between 2.4 % and 6.2 %, thereby confirming their higher-order metrological quality to provide references for testing laboratories. In case of deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, an information value was assigned due to the lack of its traceability to the SI units.