Comprehensive review of liquid chromatography methods for fumonisin determination, a 2006-2022 update

Fumonisins are mycotoxins present worldwide. They are mainly found in corn and its derived foods; however, they also have an important presence in other grains, fruits, and vegetables. Their consumption in excessive amounts can affect animal and human health. The most abundant of these is fumonisin B1, associated with a range of toxicological effects in animals, including equine leukoencephalomalacia, porcine pulmonary edema, and rodent carcinogenicity. In humans this mycotoxin has been shown to increase rates of esophageal cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified FB1 within the 2B group, considering it a possible human carcinogen. Thus, analytical methods that identify/quantify fumonisins become a necessity to ensure adequate control of food and crops. An analytic method needs to be sensitive, selective, and robust to provide reliable data that can aid in monitoring risk assessment, quality control, and research. Recently, colorimetric methods which use immunologic and molecular approaches based on dyes, enzymes and aptamers have gained attention; some of these using nanomaterials. However, these methods are still in development. Currently, chromatographic methods remain the most confident and robust analytic tool, especially for quantification purposes. There is a great deal of information reported in the literature regarding these methods; despite this, there has not been a compilation of the methods for fumonisin analysis to facilitate its consult since 2005. Being the most common method for fumonisin detection worldwide, the present review focuses on the compilation of liquid chromatography methods published between 2006 and 2022 organized by matrix, analytes, instrument, and method conditions, using diverse detectors including MS, fluorescence, and an evaporative light scattering detector. Additionally, These techniques have been applied to diverse matrices, namely food and beverages, including grains, milk, meat, beer, wine; as well as biological samples such as urine, plasma, serum, and tissues. Other aspects pertaining to legislation, extraction, cleanup (selective pressurized liquid extraction, strong anion-exchange, immunoaffinity chromatography, and QuEChERS), derivatization procedures, limit of detection and quantification of fumonisins are also included. This review had compiled and organized 88 chromatographic methods for fumonisins analysis, and the analysts can consult all the procedures with detail.