Determination of optimal conditions for hydrolysis of conjugated deoxynivalenol in corn and wheat with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a common mycotoxin contaminating corn and wheat and conjugated forms are also present. Recent studies have suggested that current analytical methods for DON analysis in feedstuffs do not detect conjugated forms in the absence of hydrolysis. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to determine the optimal conditions in which conjugated DON in corn and wheat can be hydrolyzed by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA). The optimal hydrolysis procedure was determined based on reaction duration, reaction temperature and TFMSA concentration. Total DON concentrations were determined using ELISA with free DON concentrations determined by ELISA and GC–MS. The optimal hydrolysis conditions for determination of conjugated DON in corn were found to be 0.5 M TFMSA incubated for 20 min at 22 °C. Optimal conditions for wheat samples were 0.5 M TFMSA incubated for 40 min at 40 °C. Using these optimal hydrolysis conditions, 10 corn samples and 10 wheat samples were analyzed to determine the presence of conjugated DON. All samples contained conjugated DON with an increase of 8–70% for DON in corn following hydrolysis and an increase of 7–75% for DON in wheat. This hydrolysis procedure will aid in the accurate determination of total DON and conjugated DON in feedstuffs.