Determination of mycotoxins in fruit berry by-products using QuEChERS extraction method

Fruit berries by-products are mainly elaborated with berry but most of them mixed with other fruits, grapes, plums or apples. These present favourable properties for the growth of a great range of mycotoxins mould producers. Consequently, alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) and ochratoxin A (OTA) are the main mycotoxins that should be present in berries by-products. To establish a reliable analytical method of these mycotoxins on two fruit berries by-products (jam and juice), four different QuEChERS extraction method were evaluated. Recoveries obtained were higher than 74% and 76% in berries juice and jam berries, respectively. LDs for berries jam were from 2 to 8 ng/g and for berries juice from 0.1 to 3 ng/ml. The optimized procedure was applied to analyse 52 berries fruit by-products including 32 berries juice and 20 berries jam randomly collected from different markets in Valencia, Spain. 57% and 71% of berries juice samples presented aflatoxins and Alternaria mycotoxins, respectively. OTA was detected only in a blueberry juice (5% at 7.8 ng/ml). This work should contribute to EFSA's recommendations to develop sensitive analytical methods and generate more analytical data concerning the occurrence of Alternaria toxins in food and feed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.