Ergot alkaloids - Analysis and Monitoring

German. The term ergot describes the dark-coloured sclerotia (secal cornutum) that are formed on grasses and cereal crops mainly by the fastidious parasitic fungus Claviceps spp. [1] [2] [3] [4].The sclerotia contain a variety of potentially toxic ergot alkaloids showing a characteristical structure which is built around a tetracyclic ring system of ergoline. Depending on the structure lysergic acid amids (e.g. ergometrine), ergopeptides (e.g. ergotamine) and iso-ergopeptides (e.g. ergotaminine) are generated among others. The alkaloid content and composition in ergot sclerotia is highly variable and depends on the host plant, the geographic origin of host, climatic conditions, and the producing fungus strain. To the present, occurrence data of single ergot alkaloids in feed and food are scarce. Hence, information on toxicological properties is hardly available and thus related health effects are not sufficiently investigated.Due to this background a rapid method was developed and previously published for the determination and monitoring of selected ergot alkaloids in cereals and cereal flour [5]. The method is based on solid phase filtration (SPF) clean-up followed by liquid chromatographic separation on a phenyl-hexyl-column and fluorescence detection. Main ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps species and chosen as target analytes are the D-lysergic acid derivatives ergometrine, ergotamine, ergocryptine, ergocornine, ergocristine, ergosin and the corresponding D-iso-lysergic acid epimers (C-8 ( S ) configuration, suffix "-inine").This method was also successfully tested in an interlaboratory study conducted with 27 laboratories according to the German Food and Feed Code, Section 64 (Lebensmittel und Futtermittelgesetzbuch-LFGB, § 64).]. Data obtained for repeatability and reproducibility proved the precision and robustness of the described method.At present, 183 various kinds of cereals (pure, mixed and processed materials) and 33 feeding stuff samples (2006-2009) were analysed for their ergot alkaloid content. Y2 - 2010/10/08/10.10. 2010