[Establishment of Rapid Simultaneous Analysis Method for Plant Toxins by LC-TOF-MS]

Assuming food poisoning caused by toxic plants, an LC-TOF-MS-based method for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of 16 plant toxins was established. After adding water-methanol (1 : 9) and n-hexane, the samples were homogenized and extracted, and then subjected to centrifugal separation. Without any purification procedures, LC-TOF-MS measurements were performed, and qualitative and quantitative analyses using monoisotopic ion [M+H]+ (m/z) were conducted. The addition-recovery test using curry showed that qualitative analysis was possible under a setting with a retention time of ±0.2 minutes or less and mass accuracy of 5 ppm or lower and that quantitative analysis was possible with a recovery rate of 68-142% and a repeatability of 1.4-10.1%. Furthermore, measurements of the amount of plant toxins in the boiled plants and broths of cooked toxic plants demonstrated the transfer of plant toxins to broths. These suggest that in the event of food poisoning, broths may be used as an analysis sample, even when plants are not available.