Ochratoxin A in blood from slaughter pigs in western Canada.

Twelve hundred blood samples were obtained in 1986 from pigs slaughtered in western Canada. The samples were assayed for ochratoxin as it is a potential contaminant in the food system. Blood ochratoxin concentration is a good indicator of tissue concentrations, particularly those in the liver and kidney. High performance liquid chromatography analysis of serum for ochratoxin demonstrated that 3.6 and 4.2% of the blood samples collected in February and March (n = 194) and May, June and July (n = 1006), respectively, had ochratoxin concentrations that exceeded 20 ng/mL. Overall the percent of samples that had concentrations of greater than 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 ng/mL serum were 11.3, 4.1, 1.25, 0.42 and 0.08%, respectively. Samples that had ochratoxin concentrations that were greater than 20 ng/mL of serum were confirmed using two independent methods: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and methyl ester derivatization followed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis.