# First gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for the detection and quantification of 11 trichothecenes and zearalenone in wheat plant-based beverages

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new GC–MS method to detect and measure 12 mycotoxins in wheat-based plant beverages, which are increasingly consumed but not yet regulated for mycotoxin content.

## Contribution

The first GC–MS method for rapid and cost-effective detection of 12 Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat-based plant beverages.

## Key findings

- The method achieved recoveries above 72.49% for all 12 mycotoxins after validation.
- The method is rapid, inexpensive, and suitable for monitoring mycotoxins in wheat-based beverages.
- The method was applied to commercial wheat plant-based beverages for the first time.

## Abstract

The presence of mycotoxins in plant-based beverages has not been regulated despite the potential presence of mycotoxins from the use of contaminated raw materials. This study reports the first gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method developed for the rapid analysis of 12 common Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat plant-based beverages: fusarenon-X (FUS-X), nivalenol (NIV), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), HT-2, neosolaniol (NEO), T-2 triol, T-2 tetraol, deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), T-2 and zearalenone (ZEA). The method is based on a QuEChERS extraction and, after optimization of chromatographic performance with two derivatization reagents, was validated in terms of linearity, matrix effect, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), exhibiting satisfactory recoveries above 72.49 % for all mycotoxins. Moreover, the multi-toxin method has many advantages such as easy operation, inexpensive cost and rapid analysis, constituting an effective choice for the monitoring of mycotoxins in wheat-based beverages whose consumption has increased significantly in recent years.

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•A GC–MS method for rapid determination of mycotoxins was developed.•The GC–MS was applied to commercial wheat plant-based beverages for the first time.•The new GC–MS methodology was validated for 12 mycotoxins, including T-2 and HT-2.

A GC–MS method for rapid determination of mycotoxins was developed.

The GC–MS was applied to commercial wheat plant-based beverages for the first time.

The new GC–MS methodology was validated for 12 mycotoxins, including T-2 and HT-2.