Monitoring Seasonal Differences on Contamination and Carry-over of Zearalenone from Feedstuffs to Foods by Molecularly Imprinted Solid-phase Extraction and HPLC-FLD

Contamination and carry-over of trace zearalenone (ZON) and its metabolite α-zearalanol (α-ZOL) from different feedstuffs to foods in different seasons were monitored by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) for the first time. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) bond ZON and α-ZOL selectively were prepared using cyclododecanyl-2,4-dihydroxybenzoate (CDHB) as the pseudo template. By using MIPs as sorbents of MISPE, selective enrichment of ZON and α-ZOL by MISPE increased the accuracy of HPLC-FLD. Seasonal differences on ZON contamination were observed in different feedstuffs and raw milk. But only the carry-over of ZON from cow feedstuffs to raw milk was observed. No α-ZOL contamination was detected. The humid and warm weather in April and July in Wuhan increased ZON contamination levels and the risk of ZON transmission from cow feedstuffs to milk. Seasonal differences on ZON contamination and carry-over indicate the necessity of seasonal-dependent mycotoxin monitoring and safety evaluation.