AUTOMATED-DETERMINATION OF AFLATOXIN-B1 IN CATTLE FEED BY 2-COLUMN SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION WITH ONLINE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

A method has been developed for the determination of aflatoxin B1 in cattle feed which is an automated version of the method which was ring-tested by the European Community. The method uses a two-column clean-up with intermediate solvent evaporation and is coupled on-line to a high-performance liquid chromatographic system. The automated and manual methods are compared with regard to repeatability, accuracy and recovery of the analyte. Both methods have comparable repeatability at a concentration of 5-mu-g/kg of aflatoxin B1; however, due to the lower recovery of the automated method, it differs significantly from the manual method with respect to accuracy. Nevertheless, the method may be used for screening purposes due to its good reproducibility.