Limiting values established for 11 mycotoxins

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BAM Press Release No. 3/2009

Dr. Ulrike Rockland, Pressestelle

Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)

19.03.2009

Poisons under control

The difficult search for dangerous mycotoxins

Do you know how many moulds are in a slice of bread? And has it occured

to you whether these moulds pose a danger? BAM's experts are carrying

out research into this topic and have developed an analytical method to

detect the toxic metabolic compounds of moulds.

Moulds, and more than 300 species of them exist, can be found

everywhere in the world and they can infect all kinds of food. Some of

them generate toxic metabolic compounds, the so-called mycotoxins,

which, when consumed, may cause serious damage to our health.

Mycotoxins are stable compounds and are not destroyed either by cooking

or roasting or by the processes of the food processing industry. Even

where no moulds can be recognized, they may be present with their

toxins. Therefore it is of crucial importance to detect them and

prevent contaminated food from getting into production and the trade.

In the European Union, 11 mycotoxins have been identified so far and

limiting values established (COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1881/2006

and 1126/2007). In co-operation with the Austrian Department for

Agrobiotechnology IFA-Tulln, BAM has developed an analytical method

which can quantitatively determine mycotoxins.

The analysis of the samples is carried out using high performance

liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). By

means of HPLC a separation of individual mycotoxins is achieved

followed by MS detection. The mycotoxin molecules are fragmented by a

collision with nitrogen molecules. The fragments formed during this

process are very specific to the respective mycotoxins and can

therefore be used for identification and quantitative analysis.

Dr. Köppen of the BAM Working Group " Analysis of Food and

Commodities " will report on this analytic procedure in his oral

presentation " Multi-component analysis for mycotoxins " at ANAKON 2009.

ANAKON is the most important conference for analysts in the

German-speaking countries and is organized by the German Chemical

Society (GDCh). It will take place from 17 to 20 March in Berlin and

will be arranged by the Humboldt University in Berlin and BAM.

Contact: Dr. Köppen

Working Group " Analysis of Food and Commodities "

Division I.2 " Organic Chemical Analysis; Reference Materials "

Phone: +49 30 8104-5596

Email: robert.koeppen@...

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