Analysis of ochratoxin A and ochratoxin B in traditional Chinese medicines by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using [(13)C(20)]-ochratoxin A as an internal standard.

The paper reported a reliable analytical method for simultaneous determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) and ochratoxin B (OTB) in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The development of the method and investigations on the matrix influence were described in particular. The matrix effects were thereby minimized by using a reliable internal standard and a simple sample pretreatment. The established method was further validated by determining the linearity (R(2) > or = 0.9990), average recovery (86.3-114.2%), sensitivity (limit of quantitation 0.03-0.19 ng mL(-1)) and precision (relative standard deviation < or = 13.1%). It was shown to be a suitable method for simultaneous determination of OTA and OTB in various TCMs. Finally, a total of 51 TCMs widely used in China were screened for OTA and OTB with the proposed method. The results showed that only 4 samples were contaminated with ochratoxins at low levels, indicating that it was low risk of ochratoxins to consumers who occasionally used TCMs.