Trichothecenes: characteristics and optimization of their analysis

Mycotoxins are products of the secondary metabolism of molds that have a real toxic effect on animal or human consumers. Hygrophilic molds are fungi that develop when water activity is high. This is particularly the case with Fusarium, which produces trichothecenes. These belong to a large family of sesquiterpenes classified into four groups. Groups A and B are the best known and are found in cereals and cereal products. Human exposure cannot be completely avoided and a certain level of exposure of the population to these toxins must be tolerated. The aim of our work is to develop a method for measuring trichothecenes so that it can be applied to suspicious food samples. We chose gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and optimized and validated the analytical conditions necessary for measuring deoxynivalenol (the most common trichothecene in the food chain).