Immunoaffinity column cleanup with liquid chromatography using post-column bromination for determination of aflatoxins in hazelnut paste: Interlaboratory study

An interlaboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography (LC) method for determination of aflatoxin B, and total aflatoxins in hazelnut paste at European regulatory limits. The test portion was extracted with methanol-water (6 + 4). The extract was filtered, diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution to a specified solvent concentration, and applied to an immunoaffinity column containing antibodies specific to aflatoxins. The aflatoxins were removed from the immunoaffinity column with methanol, and then quantified by reversed-phase LC with post-column derivatization (PCD) involving bromination. The PCD was achieved with electrochemically generated bromine (Kobra Cellg) followed by fluorescence detection (except for one participant who used pyridinum hydrobromide perbromide for bromination). Hazelnut paste, both naturally contaminated with aflatoxins and blank (< 0.1 ng/g) for spiking by participants with aflatoxins, was sent to 14 collaborators in Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Test portions were spiked at levels of 4.0 and 10.0 ng/g for total aflatoxins by participants using supplied total aflatoxins standards. Recoveries for total aflatoxins and aflatoxin B, averaged from 86 to 89%. Based on results for naturally contaminated samples (blind duplicates at 3 levels ranging from 4.0 to 11.8 ng/g total aflatoxins), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 2.3 to 3.4% for total aflatoxins and from 2.2 to 3.2% for aflatoxin B-1. The relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 6.1 to 7.0% for total aflatoxins and from 7.3 to 7.8% for aflatoxin B-1. The method showed exceptionally good with in-laboratory and between 4a borato ry precision for hazelnut paste, as evidenced by HORRAT values, which in all cases were significantly below target levels, the low levels of determination for both aflatoxin B-1 and total aflatoxins.