An Interlaboratory Comparison Study of Regulated and Emerging Mycotoxins Using Liquid Chromatography Mass...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety
• Mycotoxicology

Background:

• Mycotoxins pose significant risks to animal and human health, necessitating accurate detection methods.
• Interlaboratory comparisons are crucial for validating analytical methods used in routine testing.
• Existing analytical methods may not cover the full spectrum of regulated and emerging mycotoxins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the performance of routine laboratories in mycotoxin analysis using their in-house methods.
• To evaluate the capability of LC-MS/MS multi-toxin methods for diverse commodity matrices.
• To determine the suitability of the study design for developing future certified reference materials.

Main Methods:

• Nine international laboratories participated in a comparative study.
• Testing involved 24 regulated and non-regulated mycotoxins across four matrix commodities (chicken feed, swine feed, soy, corn gluten).
• Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) multi-toxin methods were employed, with data analyzed using a modified Horwitz equation and z-score assessment.

Main Results:

• Over 6000 data points were generated and statistically analyzed.
• An overall success rate of 70% was achieved, with a satisfying z-score range of ±2.
• Consistent performance was observed for both regulated and emerging mycotoxins.

Conclusions:

• Routine laboratories demonstrate proficiency in analyzing a broad range of mycotoxins, including emerging ones.
• The validated LC-MS/MS multi-toxin methods are suitable for complex feed and food matrices.
• The study design is effective for generating certified reference materials beyond current regulatory scopes.