Analysis of Mycotoxins in Hemp and Hemp-Containing Edible Products

The Agriculture Improvement Act (2018 Farm Bill) makes hemp production and distribution legal under federal law. Hemp has a wide range of possible applications, including the production of fibers, paper, certain foods, supplements, cosmetics, and even the recently FDA-approved drug Epidiolex. Legally available hemp and hemp products need to be tested for the presence of pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, and other harmful substances. Similarly, classified crops are routinely tested for Mycotoxins, including Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A.

Pickering Laboratories developed an easy and sensitive method to analyze Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, and Ochratoxin A in hemp and hemp-containing edible products. Mycotoxins are isolated using immunoaffinity clean-up columns and analyzed with fluorescence detection. To increase the sensitivity of Aflatoxins B1 and G1, an in-line photochemical reactor (UVETM) is installed before the detector. This method utilizes standard HPLC equipment and allows laboratories to easily determine these Mycotoxins at low ppb levels.