Sample Preparation Robot for Mycotoxin Analysis

Customer Focused Research & Development at Eurofins

By Simone Staiger and Dr. Ole Winkelmann, Mycotoxin Competence Centre, Eurofins WEJ Contaminants GmbH, Germany

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by moulds which appear in the food chain as the result of a fungal infection of crops, either during growth or storage. The presence of mycotoxins in food and feed cannot be completely avoided and regulations exist to limit exposure. A number of different mycotoxins are routinely analysed at Eurofins WEJ Contaminants in diverse commodities. Particularly large numbers of samples are handled for the most prominent mycotoxins, ochratoxin A and aflatoxins B and G, which occur for example in grains, coffee, dried fruits, nuts and spices.

In order to improve the quality of the results and to accelerate the throughput of samples for analysis, the prototype of a sample preparation robot has recently been installed in the laboratory. The automation of the process offers a number of benefits for the customer. Every single step of sample preparation (weighing, addition of salts, solvents and standards, mixing, filtration, transfer of extracts) is carried out precisely according to the detailed protocol. This generates more reliable results compared to the manual sample preparation procedure which requires great care to minimise the risk of errors. Furthermore, the robot increases the capacity of the lab and thus enables the handling of larger amounts of samples in a shorter time period.

The system has so far been validated for the analysis of ochratoxin A and aflatoxins B and G in dried figs as well as ochratoxin A in green coffee. The results of the automated process are in very good agreement with those obtained by the accredited manual sample preparation, and the robot is now routinely in use for the aforementioned matrices. The validation and use of the system for further matrices and analytes is progressing.

Contact:nadjafluechter@eurofins.de