Improved Reproducibility and Reduced Sample Preparation Time for the HPLC Analysis of Aflatoxins in Raw Peanut Paste - Food and Beverage
The US FDA and international regulatory agencies have set contamination levels for aflatoxins in animal feedstuffs. Since Aspergillus may infect commodities pre-harvest, during storage or during processing, monitoring for aflatoxins in associated agricultural
commodities at all stages of production is requisite. Field screening methods exist that are adequate to estimate contamination levels for aflatoxins. When additional confirmation or quantification is desired,
chromatographic laboratory analysis is often necessary. Preparation of matrix samples prior to chromatographic analysis typically requires
extraction and purification. Commonly, immunoaffinity columns (IAC), which employ a multi-step bind and elute mechanism to concentrate
and purify aflatoxins, are used to purify matrix samples for subsequent analysis. Solid phase extraction (SPE), an alternate method which
may use interference removal, can also be employed.