A survey of ochratoxin A and aflatoxins in domestic and imported beers in Japan by immunoaffinity and liquid chromatography

Analyses of ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxins (AFs) in 94 imported beer sam ples from 31 producing countries and in 22 Japanese beer samples were perfo rmed by immunoaffinity column and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection. Recoveries of OTA from beer samples spiked at 25 and 250 pg/mL were 86.1 and 88,2%, respectively. Recoveries of AFs were 98.4 and 98,9%, 95.4 and 95,5%, 101.2 and 97.8%, and 98.9 and 96,0%, respe ctively, from beer samples spiked at 4.1 and 41 pg AF B-1, 4.45 and 44.5 pg AF B(2)r 4.7 and 47 pg AF G(1) and 4.65 and 46.5 pg AF G(2)/mL, Detection limits were 1.0 pg/mL for OTA, 0.5 pg/mL for AFs B-1 and Ba, and 1.0 pg/mL for AFs GI and GZ, OTA was detected in 86 (91.5%) of 94 imported beer sampl es at a mean level of 10.1 pg/mL and in 21 (95.5%) of 22 Japanese beer samp les at a mean level of 12.5 pg/mL, AF B1 was detected in 11 of 94 imported beer samples at a level of 0.5-83.1 pg/mL and in 2 of 22 Japanese beer samp les at 0.5 and 0.8 pg/mL, Except for one beer sample from Peru, the samples contaminated with AFs were also contaminated with OTA, Although OTA was de tected in most samples from various countries, AFs were detected in the bee r samples from only a limited number of countries where AF contamination mi ght be expected to occur because of their warm climate.