Simultaneous LC-MS/MS determination of 18 plant toxins in beverages

Abstract

Assuming the intentional adulteration of beverages with plant toxins, an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 18 plant toxins (lycorine, galantamine, ricinine, scopolamine, gelsemine, atropine, colchicine, α-solanine, jervine, α-chaconine, veratramine, mesaconitine, digoxin, protoveratrine A, aconitine, hypaconitine, oleandrin, and digitoxin) was developed. As analytical samples, beer, distilled spirits, blend tea, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, and fermented milk drink were selected. The extraction and purification of the analytes were performed using modified QuEChERS method. Method validation in terms of intra-day precision, accuracy, and extraction recovery obtained satisfactory results. The calibration curves for the analytes were linear from 5 to 200 ng/mL (r＞0.990), which enabled the determination of toxins in even trace amounts.