Comprehensive analysis of T-2 toxin contamination in maize from Northeast China using automated immunomagnetic beads...

This study developed an immunomagnetic beads (IMB)-based high-throughput, automated, magneto-controlled pretreatment system coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for accurate analysis of T-2 toxin in grains and feeds. The method demonstrated good linearity and sensitivity toward T-2 toxin, with detection and quantification limits of 0.13 and 0.43 μg/kg, respectively. Under optimized conditions, the recovery rates of spiked T-2 toxin in samples ranged from 85.2 % to 103.3 %, with relative standard deviations below 7.2 %. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale regional investigation in China on the contamination of T-2 toxin in maize. Analysis of 842 samples using this method showed a 10.8 % detection rate for T-2 toxin, with contamination levels increasing at higher latitude. Historical climatic data and risk assessments suggest that relatively low temperatures may be one of favorable factors of T-2 toxin growth.