Development of a new method for the simultaneous determination of 21 mycotoxins in coffee beverages by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

• A method for the detection of 21 mycotoxins in coffee beverages has been developed.
• The optimized method was performed according to European Union decision 2002/657/EC.
• The method was successfully applied to commercial coffee beverages.
• The presence and co-occurrence of some mycotoxins in samples have been demonstrated.

A new method for the simultaneous detection of 21 mycotoxins (ochratoxin A, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, sterigmatocystin, nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol, 15-acetyl deoxynivalenol, diacetoxyscirpenol, neosolaniol, HT-2 toxin, T-2 toxin, fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, and beauvericin) in coffee beverages was internally validated. The method is based on liquid/liquid extraction with a mixture of ethyl acetate/formic acid (95:5 v/v) and detection using triple quadrupole (QqQ) and ion trap (IT) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.02 to 39.64 μg/kg, respectively, and the correlation coefficients were optimal for all mycotoxins (R2 ≥ 0.992). The recovery values ranged from 72% to 97%. The developed method was demonstrated in six real samples of roasted and instant coffee, caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and coffee with sugar added. The analyses indicate the presence of the studied mycotoxins in coffee beverages at μg/kg concentrations. Ochratoxin A, a mycotoxin that is regulated in coffee, was detected in two samples under the maximum limit established by a European legislation (CE1881/2006).