Simultaneous determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, and M1 in dairy products by high-performance liquid chromatography/fluorescence

Abstract

An analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC–FLD) was developed for the simultaneous quantification of five aflatoxins (B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂, and M₁) in dairy products. The extraction and HPLC separation parameters of the analytes were optimized. The ultrasonically homogenized samples were extracted using 84% (v/v) acetonitrile aqueous solution. The samples were purified using a Mycosep®226 Aflazon+ multi-functional purification column. After filtration and concentration, the analytes were separated using a DIKMA Diamonsil-C₁₈(2) column (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) and then eluted with methanol/acetonitrile (4 : 7)–water for analysis. Aflatoxins were separated by elution with a retention time of 20 min. The LOQ of selected analytes ranged from 0.07 μg kg⁻¹ to 0.43 μg kg⁻¹. Moreover, high correlation coefficients (r² > 0.999) were obtained for the five aflatoxins within the respective linear range of 0.06–40.6 ng mL⁻¹. In addition, the recovery rate was within 82.8–104.5%. Given its simple pretreatment, rapid determination, and high sensitivity, the proposed quantitative method can be successfully used to determine and quantify aflatoxin contaminants in complex matrices.