Analytical method of aflatoxins in edible oil and infant-children foods

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of the molds of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. They are highly carcinogenic compounds and can affect a wide range of vegetable commodities such as cereals (especially corn), nuts, peanuts, fruits and oil seeds, in the field and during storage. In fact, oilseeds are often stored for weeks in conditions that promote the mould growth, and the possible consequent presence of aflatoxins in oilseeds can lead to their transfer in oil. In addition, aflatoxins can be found as a natural contaminant in multi-cereals and beans making baby food for infants and young-children. The objective of this study was to validate the liquid extraction method or develop an analytical method for edible oil and infant-children foods. Therefore, this study developed condition of extract for aflatoxins (, , and ) in edible oil using a high performance liquid chromatography with florescence detector (HPLC/FLD). Aflatoxins were extracted from edible oil samples by means of MSPD (Matrix solid phased dispersion), utilizing as dispersing material and purified by using immunoaffinity column. The gression line coefficients were above 0.999. The recoveries for aflatoxins ranged from 85.9 to 93.0%, and relative standard deviations were below 5.7%. The new developed method of aflatoxins effectively enhanced recoveries by using MSPD-Immunoaffinity column compared with liquid extraction. The analytical method for liquid extraction of aflatoxin was appropriate for infant-children food. Reviewing the current method, the recoveries of aflatoxins (, , and ) were 89.5~92.3%.