2005, Volume IX, Issue 2Summaries of Symposia & MeetingsThe 11th Annual FDA Science Forum:Advancing Public Health through Innovative Science, held April 27–28, 2005, in Washington D.C., featured a poster session, Determination of Mycotoxins in Botanical Roots, by M.W.Trucksess, C.M.Weaver, C. J.Oles,B.A.Cohen, J. I.Rader,CFSAN,the FDA, and bioassay developer VICAM. The research presented centered on development of a reliable method for determining aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and fumonisins in botanical roots such as ginseng, ginger, and kava-kava. Increasingly used by consumers as medicines and dietary supplements, botanical roots are often imported from countries with lax quality control and thus may pose cancer and health risks associated with mycotoxins.Most of the methods for determining aflatoxins,OTA, and fumonisins were developed for use in grains and grain products and may be unreliable when applied to other commodities. The researchers modified and evaluated methods that incorporate immunoaffinity column cleanup, liquid chromatographic separation, and fluorescence detection.Pre-column trifluoracetic acid, post-column bromination, and post-column UV irradiation were compared for derivatization.No derivatization was needed for OTA testing; pre-column derivatization was used for fumonisin determination.Aflatoxin results for ginseng and other roots were all comparable.Recoveries of total aflatoxins for ginseng at levels ranging from 2 ng/g to 16 ng/g were from 77% to 90%.Recoveries for added toxins for ginger, licorice, and kavakava were from 50% to 70%.Recoveries for added fumonisins, and for OTA in ginseng at various levels,were also presented, as were preliminary results from commercially available ELISA kits for all three mycotoxins. The final program and abstracts from the forum are available at the following website: http://www.fda.gov/scienceforum |