Aflatoxins and their biosynthetic precursors in lotus seeds: simultaneous UPLC-MS/MS determination, contamination profiling, and matrix-specific accumulation during Aspergillus flavus infection.

Chenghua Luo; Mengyao Liao; Jiawei Li; Hongmei Liu; Yuedong Chen; Shumei Wang; Xiangsheng Zhao; Lei Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2026.120012

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Aflatoxins and their biosynthetic precursors in lotus seeds: simultaneous UPLC-MS/MS determination, contamination profiling, and matrix-specific accumulation during Aspergillus flavus infection.

Chenghua Luo·Mengyao Liao·Jiawei Li·Hongmei Liu·Yuedong Chen·Shumei Wang·Xiangsheng Zhao·Lei Zhang

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Abstract

Aflatoxin (AF) contamination poses a severe global threat to food and medicinal material safety, yet existing research focuses on terminal AF metabolites while neglecting residual biosynthetic precursors, leading to potential underestimation of contamination risks. In this study, a UPLC-MS/MS method was established for the simultaneous quantification of six AFs and their five precursors in lotus seeds, with optimization of mass spectrum parameters, chromatographic separation conditions, and sample pretreatment. Method validation confirmed linearity (R2 > 0.99), LODs (0.03-0.36 μg/kg), and recoveries (76.53%-120.0%, RSD < 15%). Analysis of 41 natural lotus seed samples revealed a 63.4% AF contamination rate, dominated by B-group AFs, while O-methylsterigmatocystin (OMST) and versicolorin hemiacetal (VOH) were identified as the primary co-residual precursors with co-occurrence rates ≥ 50%. Notably, AFM1 was predominantly detected in natural samples with AFB1 concentrations exceeding 100 μg/kg. Artificial inoculation experiments further demonstrated that sterilization and sealing conditions modulated AF biosynthesis in lotus seeds, with non-sterilized and non-sealed groups showing delayed fungal metabolism and lower toxin accumulation. A significant linear correlation was observed between AFM1 and AFB1 levels (r = 0.94) in infected samples, demonstrating their accumulation levels are coupled with fungal overall metabolic flux. Given the high co-occurrence rate of OMST/VOH with AFB1 in natural samples, their individual and combined toxicities require in-depth investigation. This work deciphers matrix-specific AF dynamics in lotus seeds, supporting regulatory standard refinement (e.g., precursor inclusion) and targeted control (e.g., time-sensitive drying after harvest). Further studies will focus on exploring the molecular mechanisms of substrate-dependent AF synthesis.

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Aflatoxins Seeds Aspergillus flavus Tandem Mass Spectrometry Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Lotus Food Contamination Biosynthetic pathway Lotus seeds Medicinal and edible food UPLC-MS/MS Journal Article

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Chenghua Luo, Mengyao Liao, Jiawei Li, Hongmei Liu, Yuedong Chen, Shumei Wang, Xiangsheng Zhao, Lei Zhang. 2026-07-13. Aflatoxins and their biosynthetic precursors in lotus seeds: simultaneous UPLC-MS/MS determination, contamination profiling, and matrix-specific accumulation during Aspergillus flavus infection.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2026.120012

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