A simple and reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of aflatoxin B₁ in feed.

A chromatographic method is proposed for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 in cereal-based feed, particularly targeted to dairy animals. The method is based on a solid-liquid extraction followed by a Mycosep 226 clean-up. Accuracy and precision were established at the LOQ (1 µg kg⁻¹) with a spiked sample as well as with two other different naturally contaminated reference materials. The mean overall recovery (n = 18) was 100.8%, with a confidence interval of 2.7% and a CV% of 5.5%. The performance of the proposed method was compared with the AOAC method based on the use of immunoaffinity chromatography columns, proving that it could be considered a valid alternative. Moreover, the sample preparation is very simple and straightforward, potentially being applicable as a high-throughput method. On account of its simplicity and low cost, the method may be applied to the analysis of a large number of samples in the occasion of outbreaks of large-scale contamination.