With an ever-growing list of mycotoxins to analyse, multi-analyte methods are an attractive alternative; affording time and cost savings to laboratories. However, with a range of chemistries across the broad group of mycotoxins, this does prove a challenge. When analysed using a standard C18 column, high pH conditions are required for accurate analysis of Alternaria toxins and ergot alkaloids. These conditions typically are problematic for silica-based HPLC columns, often causing significantly reduced column lifetime. Another factor at play with some groups of mycotoxins, are nonspecific adsorption (NSA) or binding (NSB) with the metal surfaces of HPLC systems. These interactions further cause problems with peak shape, analyte sensitivity, and reproducibility from injection to injection.
In this work, Restek looks to establish the benefits of coated column technologies by comparing methods developed on inert and standard hardware to remove high pH requirements along with matrix- or chemical-based passivation techniques for a wide panel of mycotoxin analytes.
