Rapid screening of ergot alkaloids in sclerotia by maldi-tof mass spectrometry

Citation

Sivagnanam, K., Komatsu, E., Patrick, S., Rampitsch, C., Perreault, H., Gräfenhan, T. (2016). Rapid screening of ergot alkaloids in sclerotia by maldi-tof mass spectrometry, 99(4), 895-898. http://dx.doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.16-0117

Plain language summary

Ergot alkaloids are poisonous chemicals that are produced by a species of fungus called Claviceps purpurea. These alkaloids are poisonous to humans and livestock and it is necessary to develop tests to make sure that contaminated grain does not reach the consumer. These tests are inevitably expensive because they require a lot of work and because large volumes of grain have to be tested. One way to reduce expenses is to make the test quick and easy. We have developed a quick and easy test here, although it does require the user to have a mass spectrometer, which is itself an expensive investment. We demonstrate that the test is good for detecting four ergot alkaloids, and present potential users with instructions on how to use this test.

Abstract

Ergot is a common disease of wheat and other cereal grains that is predominantly caused by Claviceps purpurea in the field, often affecting crop yield in addition to the environment. Infected grain can be contaminated with dark sclerotia, which contain fungal metabolites such as ergot alkaloids. The occurrence of ergot alkaloids in cereal grain is a major health concern for humans and livestock. Effective and rapid screening of these mycotoxins is crucial for producers, processors, and consumers of cereal-based food and feed grain. Established methods of ergot alkaloid screening based on LC-MS or GC-MS require laborious processes. A novel method using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDi)-time-of-flight (TOF) MS was developed to identify four ergot alkaloids. Using dihydroxybenzoic acid as the matrix, ergosine, ergocornine, ergocryptine, and ergocristine were readily detected in individual sclerotia of C. purpurea. The accuracy of the identified ergot alkaloids was further confirmed by tandem MS analysis. MALDi-TOF MS is suitable for high-throughput screening of ergot alkaloids because it permits rapid and accurate identification, simple sample preparation, and no derivatization or chromatographic separation.

Publication date

2016-07-01

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