Determination of ochratoxin A in pig tissues using enzymatic digestion coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector

We present a new method for the rapid analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) in pig tissues (muscle, liver and kidney) using enzymatic digestion (ED) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). OTA was digested with a 1% pancreatin solution in a phosphate buffer and then cleaned with ethylacetate. After being evaporated to dryness and re-dissolved, the sample was determined using HPLC-FLD. The method was validated taking into account the currently permitted limit of 1 μg/kg OTA in pork meat and derived products in Italy. The recovery was higher than 90%. Intra- and inter-day repeatability expressed as RSD were less than 7%. The LOD and LOQ were 0.001 and 0.002 μg/kg, respectively. Our method is more efficient, easier, and cheaper than conventional clean-up procedures (liquid–liquid extraction).