Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313546
Title: Quantification of patulin in fruit leathers by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (UPLC-PDA)

Author
item Maragos, Chris
item Busman, Mark
item MA, LIANG - Southwest University
item Bobell, John

Submitted to: Journal of Food Additives & Contaminants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2015
Publication Date: 4/27/2015
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62234
Citation: Maragos, C.M., Busman, M., Ma, L., Bobell, J.R. 2015. Quantification of patulin in fruit leathers by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (UPLC-PDA). Journal of Food Additives & Contaminants. 32(7):1164-1174.

Interpretive Summary: Patulin is a mycotoxin commonly found in certain fruits and fruit products, in particular, apple juice and apple products. To determine whether patulin was present in dehydrated apple products (apple leathers), two techniques were developed. One was based upon measuring patulin in extracts of fruit leathers (UPLC-PDA) and the other was based upon detecting patulin on the surface of apples or apple leathers (DART-MS). The UPLC-PDA method was used to determine the fate of patulin during the preparation of home-made apple leathers and to screen samples of commercial fruit leathers. Of the 36 products tested, 14 were above the limit of detection (3.5 ppb), 9 were above the limit of quantification (12 ppb), and one was above 50 ppb. These results demonstrated that patulin can be concentrated during the preparation of fruit leathers. However, despite this, the levels found in commercial products were relatively low.

Technical Abstract: Patulin is a mycotoxin commonly found in certain fruit and fruit products. For this reason many countries have established regulatory limits pertaining to, in particular, apple juice and apple products. Fruit leathers are produced by dehydrating fruit puree, leaving a sweet product that has a leathery texture. A recent report in the literature described the detection of patulin at substantial levels in fruit leathers. To investigate this further, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (UPLC-PDA) method was developed for the sensitive detection of patulin in fruit leathers. Investigations were also made of the suitability of direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for detection of patulin from the surface of fruit leathers. Results indicated DART-MS was insufficiently sensitive for quantification from the surface of home-style apple leathers, although patulin spiked onto the surface of leather or peel could be detected. The UPLC-PDA method was used to determine the fate of patulin during the preparation of home-made fruit leathers. Interestingly, when a home-style process was used, the patulin was not destroyed, but rather increased in concentration as the puree was dehydrated. The UPLC-PDA method was also used to screen for patulin in commercial fruit leathers. Of the 36 products tested, 14 were above the limit of detection (3.5 µg kg–1) and nine were above the limit of quantification (12 µg kg–1). Positive samples were confirmed by UPLC-MS/MS. Only one sample was found above the US regulatory limit for single-strength apple juice products (50 µg kg–1). These results suggest patulin can be concentrated during preparation and can be found in fruit leathers. The limited survey suggests that patulin is fairly prevalent in such commercial products, but that the levels are usually low.