Abstract Analysis of mycotoxins in functional and medicinal herbs is a challenge because herbs have complicated and diverse matrices from different parts of plants as well as different species. Here, we introduce a rapid and comprehensive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of multi-class mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1, B2, B3 and T-2 toxin) in twenty different species of herbs that are used for both food and medicinal purposes. Various sample preparation methods were compared and optimized to obtain satisfactory extraction of mycotoxins in different matrices. The extraction efficiency was found to vary from not only extraction methods but also matrix types, demonstrating the complexity of herbal matrix. On the basis of optimization results, immunoaffinity column was selected as an extraction method to cover all types of samples. QuEChERS was also employed as a supplementary method to support the immunoaffinity column method. The developed method was validated by assessing specificity, linearity, precision, recovery, limit of quantification and uncertainty, and applied in a hundred of real samples to monitor target mycotoxins. The monitoring results were further verified using accurate high resolution mass measurements by Orbitrap mass spectrometry. As far as we know, this is the first time the multi-class mycotoxins were determined in a broad range of functional and medicinal herb matrices, with high selectivity and sensitivity. In addition, the proposed method was proven to be more efficient and sensitive than other methods.

中文翻译：

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使用液相色谱-串联质谱法综合分析二十种不同功能和药材中的多类真菌毒素

摘要 功能性和药用草药中真菌毒素的分析是一项挑战，因为草药具有来自植物不同部位和不同物种的复杂多样的基质。在此，我们介绍了一种快速、全面的液相色谱-串联质谱法，用于测定多类真菌毒素（黄曲霉毒素 B1、B2、G1、G2、赭曲霉毒素 A、玉米赤霉烯酮、脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇、伏马菌素 B1、B2、B3 和 T-2毒素）存在于 20 种不同种类的草药中，可用于食品和药用。对各种样品制备方法进行了比较和优化，以获得对不同基质中真菌毒素的满意提取。发现提取效率不仅因提取方法而且因基质类型而异，证明了草药基质的复杂性。根据优化结果，选择免疫亲和柱作为提取方法以覆盖所有类型的样品。QuEChERS 也被用作支持免疫亲和柱方法的补充方法。开发的方法通过评估特异性、线性、精密度、回收率、定量限和不确定性进行了验证，并应用于一百个实际样品以监测目标真菌毒素。使用 Orbitrap 质谱仪的精确高分辨率质量测量进一步验证了监测结果。据我们所知，这是第一次在广泛的功能性和药用草本基质中测定多类真菌毒素，具有高选择性和灵敏度。此外，所提出的方法被证明比其他方法更有效和灵敏。