Validation of analytical methods for organochlorine pesticide detection in shellfish and cephalopods by GC-MS/MS.

This study validated the analysis of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in shellfish and cephalopods using a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), and monitored residual pesticide levels. The QuEChERS method was used to analyze OCPs and was validated by checking the linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, and precision. Octopus minor and Venerupis philippinarum, were purchased from four cities in the South Korean peninsula. The LOD values were 0.10-0.80 ng/g in shellfish and 0.21-0.77 ng/g in cephalopods, while the LOQ values were 0.31-2.41 ng/g in shellfish and 0.63-2.33 ng/g in cephalopods. Accuracy ranged from 83.5 to 117.4% and 79.8 to 118.4%, and precision ranged from 0.3 to 27.5% and 1.2 to 27.9%, in shellfish and cephalopods, respectively, conforming to the Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines. Although residual OCP levels were below detection limits, the QuEChERS method may be effective for analyzing the OCPs in shellfish and cephalopods.

Occurrence of Deoxynivalenol, Nivalenol, and Their Glucosides in Korean Market Foods and Estimation of Their Population Exposure through Food Consumption.

Major type B trichothecene mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and their respective glucoside conjugates, deoxynivalenol-3-ß-D-glucose (DON3G) and nivalenol-3-ß-D-glucose (NIV3G), are present in food products, such as cereals, legumes, and their processed products. Thus, here, DON, NIV, and their 3-ß-D-glucosides were monitored in 506 Korean market foods, and exposure to these mycotoxins was estimated in the population consuming these foods. The accuracy and precision of our method, which simultaneously determined four toxins, were 80.1-106.5% and 0.3-12.4%, in four representative food matrices assessed. The incidences of DON, DON3G, NIV, and NIV3G among all food samples tested were 13%, 8%, 12%, and 5%, respectively. The glucoside conjugate with free toxin was found to have the maximum co-occurrence of 49%. The estimated daily intakes of DON, DON3G, NIV, and NIV3G through food intake under four different scenarios were 0.019-0.102, 0.004-0.089, 0.007-0.094, and 0.002-0.095 µg kg-1 body weight (b.w.) day-1, respectively, which are lower than the established health-based guidance values. Overall, our results suggest that the estimated exposure of the Korean population to type B trichothecenes, namely, DON, NIV, and their 3-ß-D-glucoside conjugates, may not pose a potential health risk.