Determination of patulin and hydroxymethylfurfural in beverages by UPLC-PDA

Abstract

The present study describes using molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology for determination of patulin (PAT) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in beverages by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array (UPLC-PDA). PAT (4-hydroxy-4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-2(6H)-one) is a mycotoxin produced by Penicillium fungi and Penicillium expansum is probably the most commonly encountered species that infects apples during their growth, harvest, storage or processing. The occurrence of PAT as a natural contaminant of apples is a worldwide problem. 5-HMF (also known as 5-(hydroxymethyl) furan-2-carbaldehyde), is formed in the Maillard reaction as well as during caramelisation. It is a good storage time-temperature marker and flavour indicator, especially in beverages such as wine, beer, but also cider and apple juice which may contain PAT. PAT and 5-HMF were separated within 2 min using a Luna Omega C18 column and the PDA detector wavelength was set to 276 nm. The validation parameters of the analytical method such as linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy and precision were tested. The calibration curves were linear at least in the range 50-1000 ng/ml with a good linearity (R2>0.999) for both analytes, the limit of detection and the limit of quantification for PAT and 5-HMF were in the range 4.9-6.6 and 16.1-21.8 μg/l, respectively. The recoveries of the selected analyte were in the range 61.9-109.0% with a precision of <8.2% (relative standard deviation (RSD)) for PAT and in the range 50.8-98.0% with a precision of <10.0% (RSD) for 5-HMF. The validated procedure was successfully applied for the analysis of PAT and 5-HMF in beverages from retail shops.