Determination of Aflatoxin B1 in Baby Food (Infant Formula) by Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup Liquid Chromatography with Postcolumn Bromination: Collaborative Study

Abstract

Abstract A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography (LC) method for determination of aflatoxin B1 in a milk powder based infant formula at a possible future European regulatory limit (0.1 ng/g). The test portion was extracted with methanol–water (8 + 2 [v + v]), filtered, diluted with water, and applied to an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with water to remove interfering compounds, and the purified aflatoxin B1 was eluted with methanol. The separation and determination of the aflatoxin B1 was performed by reversed-phase LC and detected by fluorescence after postcolumn derivatization (PCD) involving bromination. PCD was achieved with either pyridinum hydrobromide perbromide (PBPB) or an electrochemical (Kobra) cell by addition of bromide to the mobile phase. The baby food (infant formula) test samples, both spiked and naturally contaminated with aflatoxin B1, were sent to 14 laboratories in 13 different European countries. Test portions were spiked at levels of 0.1 and 0.2 ng/g for aflatoxin B1. Recoveries ranged from 101 to 92%. Based on results for spiked test samples (blind pairs at 2 levels) and naturally contaminated test samples (blind pairs at 3 levels), the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 3.5 to 14%. The relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 9 to 23%. Nine participants used PBPB derivatization, and 5 particpants used the Kobra cell. There was no evidence of method performance depending on the derivatization method used. The method showed acceptable within- and between-laboratory precision for baby food matrix, as evidenced by HORRAT values, at the target levels of determination for aflatoxin B1.