Stable isotope dilution analysis of the Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and 3‐acetyldeoxynivalenol

Abstract

Trichothecenes are secondary metabolites produced by several fungi of the Fusarium genus during their growth period. They inhibit protein biosynthesis in eukaryotic cells resulting in numerous toxic effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, and gastro-intestinal inflammation. Considering its occurrence in food and feedstuff, deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most important trichothecenes. We report the synthesis of stable isotope labeled 15-d₁-deoxynivalenol (15-d₁-DON) from its natural precursor 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-AcDON) as starting material. Furthermore, a method for the analysis of DON and 3-AcDON using HPLC-MS/MS with stable isotope labeled 15-d₁-DON and 3-d₃-AcDON as internal standards has been developed. In total, 18 cereal product samples were analyzed with contamination levels ranging from 10–301 μg/kg for DON and 5–14 μg/kg for 3-AcDON. This is the first report of an isotope dilution MS method for the analysis of type B-trichothecenes.