Alternative extraction methods for Zearalenone: Microwave Assisted Extraction and Accelerated Solvent Extraction

Zearalenone (ZON) was extracted from wheat and corn by using Microwave Assisted Extraction and Accelerated Solvent Extraction. A factorial design approach was applied to evaluate the influence of the most important extraction parameters such as temperature, time and solvent extraction mixture on fortified cereals. ZON was determined by LC-MS without performing any clean-up after the extraction to better evaluate the extraction efficiency. The selected extraction conditions were tested on samples which had been previously used in an international proficiency test. Applying the selected extraction conditions both alternative extraction procedure provided satisfactory results comparable to the most commonly used method.