High performance liquid chromatographic determination of aflatoxicol in milk, blood, and liver

Samples of milk were extracted with chloroform, the extract was transferred to methanol, and residual interferences were removed by liquid-liquid partition against hexane and by silica gel column chromatography. Aflatoxicol (AFL) in the purified extract was resolved on a mu Bondapak C18 column, using water - methanol - acetonitrile - tetrahydrofuran (70 + 15 + 20 + 3) as the mobile phase, and measured with a fluorescence detector (excitation 325-385 nm, emission greater than 408 nm). Recoveries of AFL added to samples of whole pasteurized milk at levels ranging from 0.025 to 0.10 ng/mL averaged 92% (range 78-100%). The method for AFL has also been applied to the analysis of raw milk, whole beef blood, and beef liver, with recoveries of 70-88%.