Measurement of fumonisins in maize using a portable mass spectrometer

Authors: Maragos, Chris; BARNETT, KRISTIN - Illinois Department Of Agriculture; MORGAN, LUKE - Illinois Department Of Agriculture; Vaughan, Martha; Sieve, Kristal

Submitted to: Toxins
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/29/2022
Publication Date: 7/30/2022
Citation: Maragos, C.M., Barnett, K., Morgan, L., Vaughan, M.M., Sieve, K.K. 2022. Measurement of fumonisins in maize using a portable mass spectrometer. Toxins. 14(8). Article 523. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14080523.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14080523

Interpretive Summary: Fumonisins are a group of fungal toxins that cause a variety of diseases in domestic animals. The FDA has established guidance levels for their occurrence in commodities, which has resulted in extensive testing to limit their presence in foods and feeds. Such testing is typically conducted using a rapid screening assay (such as a test strip), followed by confirmation using a laboratory-based method such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). To help reduce the redundancy of testing, a portable mass spectrometer was evaluated for its applicability to measure fumonisins in maize. Good correlations were observed between the portable MS and a laboratory-based LC-MS method. Results suggest the portable MS can be applied to measurement of fumonisins in maize at levels relevant to international regulations. The method has the potential to reduce the number of confirmatory tests and, by moving confirmation to the field, eliminate the waiting period required when samples are sent to third-party analytical laboratories.

Technical Abstract: Fumonisins are a group of mycotoxins that routinely contaminate maize. Their presence is monitored at multiple stages from harvest to final product. Immunoassays are routinely used to screen commodities in the field while laboratory-based methods, such as mass spectrometry (MS), are used for confirmation. Use of a portable mass spectrometer unlocks the potential to conduct confirmatory analyses outside of traditional laboratories. Herein, a portable mass spectrometer was used to measure fumonisins in maize. Samples were extracted with aqueous methanol, cleaned up on an immunoaffinity column, and tested with the portable MS. The limits of detection were 0.15, 0.19, and 0.28 mg/kg maize for fumonisins B1 (FB1), FB2/FB3, and total fumonisins, respectively. The corresponding limits of quantitation in maize were 0.33, 0.59, and 0.74 mg/kg. Recoveries ranged from 93.6% to 108.6%. However, RSDs ranged from 12.0 to 29.8%. The method was applied to the detection of fumonisins in 64 samples of maize collected as part of the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s monitoring program. Good correlations were observed between the portable MS and a laboratory-based LC-MS method (r2 from 0.9132 to 0.9481). Results suggest the portable MS can be applied to measurement of fumonisins in maize at levels relevant to international regulations.