• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 1996

A procedure for the determination of Aflatoxins in food and grains which utilizes reversed phased liquid chromatographic (LC) analysis with postcolumn derivatization by an electrochemical cell and determination with a fluorescence detector has been evaluated. The LC mobile phase was water-acetonitrile-methanol (6+2+2) with 1mM KBr and 1 mM HNO3 which gave baseline separation for the four Aflatoxins (AfB1, AfB2, AfG1, AfG2). The electrochemical cell set at 7V, generated bromine and derivatized aflatoxins B1 and G1, The derivatives were detected by the fluorescence detector. The aflatoxins in naturally contaminated corn samples were isolated by three different cleanup procedures: the AOAC method I column(CB method), a rapid filtrate column (Romer's column), and an immunoaffinity column. The final extract were quantitated with fluordensitometric TLC and the LC postcolumn derivatization techniques. The results were quite similar, however the LC technique showed less interferences and could be automated. Samples of corn, raw peanuts, peanut butter and dried dates were also analyzed successfully with this procedure.