Silica/graphene oxide nanocomposites: Potential adsorbents for solid phase extraction of trace aflatoxins in cereal crops coupled with high performance liquid chromatography

Graphene oxide wrapped silica nanocomposites were synthesized and selected as solid phase extraction adsorbents for high performance liquid chromatography analysis of aflatoxins. The major parameters affecting extraction efficiency were optimized, including the amount of adsorbents, extraction time and desorption conditions. The limit of detections and the limit of quantifications were from 0.1 to 0.3 mu g/kg and from 0.3 to 1.0 mu g/kg, respectively. The recoveries of aflatoxins in the spiked maize and rice samples were in the range of 76.8-104.7% and 81.1-106.9%, respectively, and with the RSDs less than 12.4%. The proposed method was proven to be simple, rapid and reliable for routine analysis of aflatoxins in crops.