Determination of Aflatoxins (M1, B1, B2, G1 and G2) by UPLC-FLD without derivatization and compare it with conventional HPLC

Aflatoxins are toxic and can be carcinogenic to humans and animals [1]. Due to this toxicity, government regulatory agencies impose strict limits on their content in foodstuffs. For this reason, the food industry needs sensitive, accurate, and reproducible methods to measure these analytes. These methods are typically based on reverse phase HPLC with fluorescence detection. However since reverse phase eluents quench the fluorescence of aflatoxins B1 and G1, derivatization is commonly required to enhance the response of these analytes. Typical choices are pre-column with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), or post-column with iodine, electrochemically generated bromine [2], or photochemical UV [3].The objective of this study was to a rapid analysis of aflatoxins without derivatization by using ultra performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection and compared the results with the traditional HPLC. The results of the present study indicated that the system s ability to decrease analysis time. Eliminating derivatization, providing sharper peaks with higher signal-to-noise ratios and improve detection limits. Additionally, using UPLC instead of HPLC reduced solvent consumption.