Universal screening of 200 mycotoxins and their variations in stored cereals in Shanghai, China by UHPLC-Q-TOF MS

Due to the challenge of hundreds of potential mycotoxins that may be present in cereals, a rapid and reliable ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF MS) technique was developed for universal screening of 200 mycotoxins (prototype, emerging and related derivatives) in cereals. With satisfactory sensitivity of accurate mass full-spectrum acquisition, it is feasible to preliminarily identify tentative untargeted mycotoxins with a large range of polarity without reference materials. The current screening method was also validated by the determination of 33 typical mycotoxins, and the screening detection limits in the range of 0.5-100 mu g kg(-1) were established in cereals. In total, 138 stored samples were contaminated by 46 mycotoxins and their metabolites, some of which were firstly reported in cereals, posing emerging potential health risks to humans and animals. Furthermore, the accumulation, transformation and degradation mechanisms of typical mycotoxins in cereals were investigated under real storage conditions.

Automated summary

A rapid and reliable UHPLC-Q-TOF MS technique was developed for universal screening of 200 mycotoxins in cereals. The method can identify tentative untargeted mycotoxins with a large range of polarity without reference materials. The study found that some mycotoxins, previously unreported in cereals, pose emerging potential health risks to humans and animals.