Using Magnetic Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as Modified QuEChERS Adsorbent for Simultaneous Determination of Multiple Mycotoxins in Grains by UPLC-MS/MS

The simultaneous detection of multiple mycotoxins is important due to the increased toxic effects of combined mycotoxins in grains. In this research, a combination of modified QuEChERS with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used for simultaneous detection of 20 mycotoxins in grains. A series of different types of magnetic (Fe3O4) nanoparticles modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Fe3O4-MWCNTs) were designed as modified QuEChERS adsorbents for facile and efficient purification and for target interferences removal in the matrices. When there is an external magnetic field, the proposed modified QuEChERS method uses a shorter pretreatment time compared with the traditional QuEChERS method, which makes it possible to conduct high-throughput analyses. To optimize the QuEChERS process, the extraction solvent and the type and amount of the Fe3O4-MWCNTs were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the method was validated and showed satisfactory linearity (r(2) >= 0.9965), good recovery (73.5-112.9%), good precision (1.3-12.7%), and excellent sensitivity (ranging from 0.0021 to 5.4457 ng g(-1)), which indicates that this method can be used for detecting multiple mycotoxins in real samples.