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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Poisonous Plant Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #335819
Title: A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the detection and quantitation of monofluoroacetate in plants toxic to livestock

Author
item SANTOS-BARBOSA, JOYCE - Universidade Federal De Mato Grosso
item LEE, STEPHEN
item COOK, DANIEL
item GARDNER, DALE
item VIANA, LUIS - Universidade Federal De Mato Grosso
item RE, NILVA - Universidade Federal De Mato Grosso

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2016
Publication Date: 1/28/2017
Citation: Santos-Barbosa, J.M., Lee, S.T., Cook, D., Gardner, D.R., Viana, L.H., Re, N. 2017. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the detection and quantitation of monofluoroacetate in plants toxic to livestock. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 65(7):1428–1433. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00294.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00294

Interpretive Summary: Monofluoroacetate (MFA) is a potent toxin that occurs in over 50 plant species in Africa, Australia, and South America and is responsible for significant livestock deaths in these regions. A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the analysis of MFA in plants was developed. This method was equivalent to a currently employed high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of MFA in plants. The GC-MS method was applied to the analysis of MFA in specimens of Fridericia elegans, Niedenzuella stannea, Niedenzuella multiglandulosa, Niedenzuella acutifolia, and Aenigmatanthera lasiandra. This is the first report of monofluoroacetate being detected in F. elegans, N. multiglandulosa, N. acutifolia, and Aenigmatanthera lasiandra, some of which are toxic to livestock.

Technical Abstract: Monofluoroacetate (MFA) is a potent toxin that occurs in over 50 plant species in Africa, Australia, and South America and is responsible for significant livestock deaths in these regions. A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the analysis of MFA in plants based on the derivatization of MFA with n-propanol in the presence of sulfuric acid to form propyl fluoroacetate was developed. This method was equivalent to a currently employed high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method for the analysis of MFA in plants. The GC-MS method was applied to the analysis of MFA in herbarium specimens of Fridericia elegans, Niedenzuella stannea, Niedenzuella multiglandulosa, Niedenzuella acutifolia, and Aenigmatanthera lasiandra. This is the first report of MFA being detected in F. elegans, N. multiglandulosa, N. acutifolia, and Aenigmatanthera lasiandra, some of which have been reported to cause sudden death or that are toxic to livestock.