| abstract |
A method is disclosed for quickly and easily determining the presence and concentration of aflatoxins in peanuts. Aflatoxins are extracted from ground peanuts with a methanol-water solution using a tissuemizer. The extracted sample is filtered and an aliquot of the filtrate is transferred to a separatory funnel. A salt solution is added to remove interferences. The combined aqueous solution is then extracted with dichloromethane. The dichloromethane extract is evaporated to dryness, trifluoroacetic acid is then added and the resulting residue taken up in the mobile phase. The solution is then passed through a minicolumn for filtration and final cleanup. An aliquot is then injected into a high pressure liquid chromatograph system for separation of the four aflatoxin components, B1, B2, G1 and G2. Quantitation is done using a filter fluorescence detector. |