First gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for the detection and quantification of 11 trichothecenes and zearalenone in wheat plant-based beverages

The presence of mycotoxins in plant-based beverages has not been regulated despite the potential presence of mycotoxins from the use of contaminated raw materials. This study reports the first gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method developed for the rapid analysis of 12 common <i>Fusarium</i> mycotoxins in wheat plant-based beverages: fusarenon-X (FUS-X), nivalenol (NIV), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), HT-2, neosolaniol (NEO), T-2 triol, T-2 tetraol, deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), T-2 and zearalenone (ZEA). The method is based on a QuEChERS extraction and, after optimization of chromatographic performance with two derivatization reagents, was validated in terms of linearity, matrix effect, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), exhibiting satisfactory recoveries above 72.49 % for all mycotoxins. Moreover, the multi-toxin method has many advantages such as easy operation, inexpensive cost and rapid analysis, constituting an effective choice for the monitoring of mycotoxins in wheat-based beverages whose consumption has increased significantly in recent years.