Occurrence of Ergot Alkaloids in Barley and Wheat from Algeria

The natural occurrence of six major ergot alkaloids, ergometrine, ergosine, ergotamine, ergocornine, ergokryptine and ergocristine, as well as their corresponding epimers, were investigated in 60 cereal samples (barley and wheat) from Algeria. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and a QuEChERS extraction method were used for sample analysis. The results revealed that 12 out of 60 samples (20%) were contaminated with ergot alkaloids. Wheat was the most contaminated matrix, with an incidence of 26.7% (8 out of 30 samples). The concentration of total ergot alkaloids ranged from 17.8 to 53.9 mu g/kg for barley and from 3.66 to 76.0 mu g/kg for wheat samples. Ergosine, ergokryptine and ergocristine showed the highest incidences in wheat, while ergometrine was the most common ergot in barley.

Automated summary

The study investigated the natural occurrence of six major ergot alkaloids in 60 cereal samples from Algeria, revealing that 20% of the samples were contaminated. Wheat was the most contaminated matrix, with ergosine, ergokryptine, and ergocristine showing the highest incidences. Barley had higher concentrations of total ergot alkaloids and was most commonly contaminated with ergometrine.