Raman Spectroscopic and Mass Spectrometric Determination of Aflatoxins

Abstract

This paper reported on selective Raman spectroscopic and mass spectrometric determination of functionalized aflatoxins. Performance parameter methods encompassed six component mixtures of AFs, B1, G1, M1 and B2A, G2A, and M2A at concentration range of ∈ 0.096–21.581 ng g−1. Limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) are 0.135 and 0.45 ng g−1, respectively. The matrix effect of AFB2A, AFG2A, and AFM2A in multicomponent mixtures is evaluated. The LODs of 0.11–0.09 ng g−1 is achieved. Raman spectroscopic method performance parameters at concentration range of ∈ 0.10–5,000 μg kg−1 for six component mixtures (r2 = 0.97651) are LOD = 10.13 μg kg−1 and LOQ = 33.76 μg kg−1. The designed experimental schedule and sampling model is tested on contaminated grain samples. As far as the biochemistry and genetic engineering of aflatoxins and their major metabolites involved the high regioselectivity and binding affinity to N7 guanine residue at DNA, causing carcinogenic and mutagenic effects, the data reported are of emergency on the frontier fields of analytical chemistry, environmental bioengineering, monitoring, and assessment of human health risk from aflatoxins contamination. Aflatoxins are considered as biochemical weapons. Therefore, the essence of the study is on the instrumental methodology, which would be of interest and encompassed public security research and related scientific elaborations of more effective methods for (1) prevention, (2) reducing of the damages, and/or (3) acquisition of the outgrowths from biological (chemical) terrorist attacks.