Molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase extraction for detection of zearalenone in cereal sample extracts

The aim of this work was to develop a method for the clean-up and preconcentration of zearalenone from corn and wheat samples employing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as selective sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE). Cereal samples were extracted with acetonitrile/water (75:25, v/v) and the extract was diluted with water and applied to an AFFINIMIP (TM) ZON MIP-SPE column. The column was then washed to eliminate the interferences and zearalenone was eluted with methanol and quantified using HPLC with fluorescence detection (lambda(exc) = 275/lambda(em) = 450 nm). The precision and accuracy of the method were satisfactory for both cereals at the different fortification levels tested and it gave recoveries between 82 and 87% (RSDr 2.5-6.2%, n = 3) and 86 and 90% (RSDr 0.9-6.8%, n = 3) for wheat and maize, respectively. MIP-SPE column capacity was determined to be not less than 6.6 mu g of zearalenone and to be at least four times higher than that of immunoaffinity column (IAC). The application of AFFINIMIP (TM) ZON molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent material for detection of zearalenone fulfilled the method performance criteria required by the Commission Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006, demonstrating the suitability of the technique for the control of zearalenone in cereal samples. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.