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Title: ANALYSIS OF FUMONISIN B1 IN CORN BY CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

Author
item Maragos, Chris
item Bennett, Glenn
item Richard, John

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/27/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fumonisins are a group of toxins produced by certain Fusarium molds and can be present in feeds at levels sufficient to cause disease in livestock. Currently, fumonisins are measured in corn or feed by thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) or immunochemical (ELISA) methods. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a relatively recent analytical technique that is sensitive, rapid, and reduces both the sample size required for analysis and the volume of hazardous waste solvent generated. This research was undertaken to develop a CE based method for fumonisin determinations. The technique developed provides an alternative to traditional HPLC methods for the quantitation of fumonisin B1 in foods and has a detection limit of 0.05 ppm.

Technical Abstract: Fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins characterized by two tricarballylic acid groups esterified to a twenty carbon aminopentol backbone, can be present in feeds at levels sufficient to cause disease in livestock. The anionic nature of the fumonisins is the basis behind the widely used method for cleanup of corn with strong anion exchange (SAX) columns. This property also enables the fumonisins to be separated by electrophoretic techniques which, until now, have not been applied to the analysis of fumonisins in corn. Fumonisin B1, extracted from corn with 80% methanol and isolated with a commercially available affinity column, was derivatized with fluorescein isothiocyanate for analysis by capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection (CZE-LIF). Recoveries from corn fortified with 0.25 to 5.0 ppm FB1 averaged 89% (range 79 to 102%). As little as 0.05 ppm FB1 could be detected in corn. For corn naturally contaminated with FB1, the CZE-LIF method compared favorably to established SAX/HPLC and C18/HPLC methods. Capillary electrophoresis can be used for quantitation of FB1 in corn, with minimal use of organic solvents and provides an additional tool for confirming fumonisin contamination.