DETERMINATION OF AFLATOXINS IN PEANUT MEAL BY LC MS WITH A PARTICLE-BEAM INTERFACE/

A new method for the analysis of aflatoxins in food extracts, based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry interfacing, is presented. Th e chromatographic separation was performed with a reversed phase packe d capillary column coupled with a modified particle beam interface cap able of handling microliter per minute flow rates. This system allows higher overall sensitivity and easier operation procedures. The method has proved to be particularly suitable for the analysis of the toxins in very complex matrices. The specificity of electron impact ionizati on allowed positive identification of the aflatoxins with an excellent response linearity for accurate quantitation.