Application of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and principal component analysis in characterization of 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol in corn oil

Mycotoxin contamination in edible oil has been a serious problem in recent years. The feasibility of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was investigated for detecting 15-AcDON in crude and refined corn oils. Corn oils contaminated artificially with 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-AcDON) and Fusarium asiaticum (defined as “Fusarium-contaminated corn oil”) and only with 15-AcDON (defined as “Fusarium-free corn oil”) were tested to simulate 15-AcDON contamination in crude oil and in refined oil, respectively. The contaminations with 15-AcDON at different levels were discriminated by a PCA score plot for both contaminated corn oils. The specific IR bands of 15-AcDON were revealed for each oil, which could be assigned to the symmetric stretching vibration of the ester (O)C-O. By comparison between the spectra of both oils, no interference of the F. asiaticum in the detection of 15-AcDON was found, however, the difference of the specific band region for 15-AcDON between both oils was observed. The results suggested that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy could be a promising method for rapid screening of 15-AcDON in crude and refined corn oils.