Natural toxins testing

Monitoring of food for natural toxins is crucial to determine safe levels, geographical variations, and trends over time.

Learn how SCIEX can help.

Natural toxins LC-MS testing for food safety

Natural toxins are synthesized by bacteria, fungi, plants, or animals and are classified into different categories based on the organisms that produce them. Various of these biotoxins can contaminate food at different stages of production, from cultivation and harvesting to processing and distribution. International organizations and regulatory bodies share information and harmonize standards to monitor and address global trends in natural toxin contamination that may impact food safety. Marine biotoxins, mushroom toxins and different classes of alkaloids like pyrrolizidine alkaloids and tropane alkaloids are among the most tested subgroups of natural toxins in food safety that are detected with LC-MS.

SCIEX provides proven and robust technologies and support for fast and accurate detection of natural toxins. The SCIEX Turbo V ion source design provides high ionization efficiency and outstanding contamination resistance, ensuring high sensitivity, stability and reproducibility during routine analysis of large batches of samples. Challenging isomer separation can be overcome with optional ion-mobility technology for triple quadrupole systems.

    Regulations for biotoxin testing

    Countries have specific regulations for food safety that can differ. Some selected regulations are:

    • Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1408 for tropane alkaloids
    • Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/2040 for pyrrolizidine alkaloids
    • Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food, also known as the new European contaminant regulation, including a variety of compounds
    • Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2783 covering sample preparation and methods of analysis used for the control of the levels of plant toxin
    • Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 food of animal origin including levels on marine biotoxins
    • National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) in the US

    Highlighted workflow

    Alkaloid Testing

    Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are a collection of several isomeric substances, some of which cannot be separated by chromatography or mass spectrometry alone. A method has been developed for the sensitive quantification of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are relevant for the analysis of herbal and tea extracts, using SelexION Technology to distinguish between isomeric compounds. 

      • Remove matrix interferences and distinguish between isomeric compounds
      • Relevant for the analysis of herbal and tea extracts
      • Sensitive quantification of 27 pyrrolizidine alkaloids

      Alkaloid testing highlighted workflow

      Solution

      Overcome challenges from isomeric compounds with integrated MS technology.

      SCIEX Triple Quad 6500+ system

      Delivering the perfect balance of speed, performance, and sensitivity for your most challenges analytes.

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      SelexION

      The SCIEX SelexION differential mobility separation device (DMS) provides an extra level of selectivity so you can resolve difficult analytes and achieve higher confidence in detection and quantitation.

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