Application of Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction to Determine Aflatoxin B1 in Tomato Paste Samples

Background: Aflatoxin B1 is a secondary toxic metabolite produced by several aspergillus species. This study was conducted to determine the presence of aflatoxin in tomato paste samples. Methods: A total of 30 tomato pastes were analyzed for Aflatoxin B1 contamination via HPLC-FLD. Analyte extraction was done by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. Results: The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.14 and 0.44 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery rates ranged from 91 to 94%. The findings showed all samples were contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 and the average concentration was 1.1 ± 0.02 µg/kg. The amount of aflatoxin B1 in 6 samples was higher than the limit set by the European Union. Conclusion: The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of tomato paste samples with quantitative results. The main advantages of the developed method include its simplicity in operation, rapid achievement of a very high sample, and low cost.