Ergot Alkaloids in Grain Foods Sold in Canada

Abstract

Six pharmacologically active ergot alkaloids (ergonovine [ergometrine], ergosine, ergotamine, ergocornine, α-ergokryptine, and ergocristine) were determined by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection in over 400 samples of grain foods. The survey was conducted over a 6-year period for rye flour, wheat flour, and bran/bran cereal, and a 5-year period for rye bread/crispbread; triticale flour was analyzed over a total of 3 years. The predominant alkaloids found were ergocristine and ergotamine. Rye flour was the most contaminated food; the incidence of alkaloid-positive samples was 118/128, annual mean concentrations of total alkaloids in positive samples ranged from 70 to 414 ng/g, and 1 sample contained as high as 3972 ng total alkaloids/g. In wheat flour, total alkaloid concentrations were much lower than in rye flour, with annual means in positive samples (68/93) of 15-68 ng/g. Bran/bran cereal had alkaloid concentrations similar to those in wheat flour, with annual means of 12-69 ng total alkaloids/g positive samples (incidence 29/35). Triticale flour was also an important source of ergot alkaloids; incidence was 24/26, and annual mean total alkaloid concentrations in positive samples were 46-283 ng/g. Ergot alkaloids were found in rye bread (46/100) and other heat-processed rye flour products (6/14). Annual mean total alkaloids in positive rye bread/crispbread samples ranged from 4.8 to 100 ng/g; the latter included a sample with 1248 ng total alkaloids/g.