BSA-based sample clean-up columns for ochratoxin A determination in wine: Method development and validation.

Analytical chromatographic techniques for mycotoxins control are well established, but they often depend on costly immunoaffinity sample clean-up. Serum albumins, particularly that from bovine origin (BSA), have stable binding affinity towards some mycotoxins, and can be cheaper alternative receptors for sample clean-up due to their wide availability. Thus, this work used BSA immobilized in agarose beads as a novel solid-phase extraction method for quantification of ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine. Constructed BSA-agarose columns could extract OTA efficiently from red wine after its dilution (4-fold) in 0.1 M Tris pH 8.0. The method was linear (R2 = 0.9999) in the OTA concentration range studied (0.05 to 3.0 μg L-1), with recovery rates above 98%. It also showed low detection (0.017 μg L-1) and quantification (0.051 μg L-1) limits. The efficacy of the BSA-based method was further validated by direct comparison with commercial immunoaffinity columns. Portuguese wines analyzed by both methods had agreeing results.