Isolation and determination of deoxynivalenol by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by food contamination. It is a pharmacologically active compound that acts on the serotonin receptor, leading to several neuroendocrine and hematological disorders. In this article we describe a simple, accurate, and sensitive method for the quantification of DON. DON was quantified using a Phenomenex(®) ODS analytical C18 column (150 mm × 46 mm, 5 μm) with a mobile phase composed of mixture of water-acetonitrile-methanol (5:4:1, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min and at 254 nm in an ultraviolet (UV) detector The method has been validated with isolated samples of DON and provides a tool for the control of substandard and counterfeit commercial food products.