Determination of ochratoxin A in meat, meat products, and edible offal by HPLC-a method validation through a collaborative trial

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that can contaminate a wide range of food products as a result of fungal growth on agricultural commodities or microbial activity during the curing or maturation process of meat-based products. This paper presents a fully validated interlaboratory study involving twenty laboratories to determine OTA in pork-derived meat, meat products, and edible offal. The analytical method employed extraction with solvent, immunoaffinity columns (IAC) clean-up, and reversed-phase liquid chromatographic detection coupled with a fluorescence detector. The method demonstrated its capability to determine OTA in all tested food matrices within the range of 0.5-10 μg/kg, achieving satisfactory trueness and precision consistent with the performance criteria established in Regulation (EU) 2023/2782. Average recoveries ranged from 72 to 86%, while relative standard deviations for repeatability and reproducibility ranged from 4.2 to 11.0% and from 9.5 to 22.6%, respectively. Repeatability and reproducibility limits ranged from 0.07 to 1.36 μg/kg and from 0.20 to 4.91 μg/kg, respectively. HorRat ratios obtained ranged from 0.4 to 0.9. The availability of reliable analytical methods is crucial for activities of official control purposes. The study confirms the method's suitability for routine use in official control laboratories, providing a robust and reliable tool for OTA monitoring in pork-based products.