Rapid HPLC method for simultaneous detection of aflatoxins and cyclopiazonic from Aspergillus section Flavi
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abstract
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by moulds and are an
important world-wide food safety concern. Among the most relevant mycotoxigenic producer
fungi are some Aspergillus species in particular those belonging to the Aspergillus section
Flavi. These are known to produce the highly carcinogenic aflatoxins in agricultural
commodities. Due to its impact in animal and human health, these species are among the
most intenSively studied ones, being well known producers of aflatoxins (AFB1 , AFB2; AFG1
and AFG2) and cyciopiazonic acid (CPA). Aflatoxins are mainly produced by some strains of
Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus nomius and by most, if not all, strains of Aspergillus
parasiticus. On the other hand, cyclopiazonic acid, which naturally occurs in a large variety of
crop products as a co-contaminant with aflatoxins, is mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus
strains. Together they have been shown to cause health problems in animals and humans,
resulting in important economic losses. The production of CPA by Aspergillus section Flavi
may also be routinely used for identification purposes since A. parasiticus, A. flavus and A.
nomius, exhibit different mycotoxin profiles. The detection and quantification of both these
mycotoxins is usually done separately by HPLC with UV detection for CPA and fluorescence
detection after post-column derivatization for aflatoxins. There isn't a chromatographic
method available to detect simultaneously CPA and the main four aflatoxins.
