A Dilute-and-Shoot Based UPLC-MS/MS Method for Multimycotoxins Analysis in Astragali radix

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Astragali radix is susceptible to mycotoxin contamination, posing risks to product quality, consumer health, and regulatory compliance.
• Accurate and sensitive detection of multiple mycotoxins in Astragali radix is crucial for quality control and safety assurance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly efficient, sensitive, rapid, and multi-analyte method for detecting mycotoxins in Astragali radix.
• To establish a robust analytical procedure for ensuring the safety and quality of Astragali radix used in traditional medicine and health products.

Main Methods:

• A selective dilute-and-shoot pretreatment procedure was optimized for sample preparation.
• Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed for sensitive detection.
• Key parameters including extraction solvent, mobile phase, MS/MS conditions, and dilute-and-shoot parameters were optimized for five mycotoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, Ochratoxin A).

Main Results:

• The developed UPLC-MS/MS method achieved separation and detection of five mycotoxins within 5 minutes.
• The method demonstrated excellent sensitivity with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) below 0.2 and 0.5 μg/kg, respectively.
• High precision (RSD < 9%) and accuracy (recoveries 90.87–108.44%) were confirmed. Two samples tested positive for AFB1.

Conclusions:

• The dilute-and-shoot procedure provides a simple, rapid, selective, accurate, cost-effective, and operator-friendly method for mycotoxin extraction without clean-up.
• This study presents the first application of the dilute-and-shoot approach for mycotoxin analysis in Chinese medicinal materials.
• The developed method is suitable for routine quality control and safety assessment of Astragali radix.