Quantitative assessment of moniliformin in cereals via alternative precipitation pathways, aided by LC-LIT-MS and LC-Q-TOF-MS

The availability of a simple chemical precipitation workflow aided by targeted and untargeted mass spectrometry would provide an accurate diagnostic platform for the direct determination of moniliformin in cereals for food safety control. In-house method validation was performed at six concentration levels of 8, 40, 80, 200, 400, and 600 ng g−1 in cereal flours of wheat, corn, rye, oats and barley. Spiking experiments were made at three concentration levels of 20, 40 and 100 ng g−1. Protein precipitation and “PHREE” column cleanup strategy provided recoveries of 81–108% for all cereals matrices using external calibrants. “PHREE” purification provided significant (p < 0.05) ion signal enhancement reduction advantage for all matrices except corn flour. Moniliformin underwent significant (p < 0.05) degradation over 2 weeks when prepared in acidified water. A simple, low-cost and fit-for-purpose procedure for the identification and quantitation of moniliformin in cereals becomes available to support prospective regulatory function.