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. 2025 Nov 21;14(23):3984.
doi: 10.3390/foods14233984.

Preparation and Application of Magnetic Microporous Organic Networks for Rapid Adsorption Enrichment of Multiple Mycotoxins in Complex Food Matrices

Chuang Wang  1 , Jing Zhang  1 , Yu-Xin Wang  1 , Dan-Dan Kong  1 , Jian-Xin Lv  1 , Yuan-Yuan Zhang  1 , Xue-Li Li  1 , Xin-Xin Kang  1 , Meng-Yue Guo  1 , Jiao-Yang Luo  1   2 , Mei-Hua Yang  1   2   3
Affiliations

Preparation and Application of Magnetic Microporous Organic Networks for Rapid Adsorption Enrichment of Multiple Mycotoxins in Complex Food Matrices

Chuang Wang et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Mycotoxins commonly contaminate grains and traditional Chinese medicinal materials, posing serious health risks to humans and animals. To address this issue, a magnetic microporous organic network (MMON) was synthesized via an in situ growth method and Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling for the simultaneous adsorption of seven mycotoxins, followed by UPLC-MS/MS detection. The optimized MMON featured a high surface area, uniform micropores, and rapid magnetic separation within 5 s. Structural and compositional analyses confirmed its tailored architecture, while DFT calculations revealed a pore confinement effect, π-π stacking, and hydrophobic interactions as the primary adsorption mechanisms. A magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method using 8 mg of MMON achieved adsorption equilibrium within 10 s in 5 mL of a 4 mg/L mycotoxin standard solution. The material maintained over 95% efficiency across ten reuse cycles at a low cost. Under optimal conditions, an MSPE-UPLC-MS/MS method with a low detection limit (0.002-0.15 μg/L), wide linear range (0.01-100.0 μg/L), large enrichment factor (20.1-21.9), low adsorbent dosage, and short extraction time was developed. The determination of mycotoxins in complex grain-based foods and herbal products was also realized with recoveries of 81.32% to 116.10%. This work offers a rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput approach for mycotoxin detection, supporting quality control in food and herbal product safety.

Keywords: adsorption mechanism; complex matrix; magnetic microporous organic network; magnetic solid-phase extraction; mycotoxins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic preparation of MMON.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Characterization of adsorptive materials. (A) TEM image of Fe3O4 and MMON. (B) SEM image of MMON. (C) EDS image of MMON. (D) FT-IR spectra. (E) XPS spectra of MMON. (F) XRD spectra of three materials. (G) N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. (H) Pore size distribution of MMON. (I) TGA of three materials. (J) Magnetic hysteresis curves of different materials. (K) Water contact angle analysis of the MMON.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Optimization of MSPE conditions (n = 6). (A) Evaluation of adsorption for different materials. (B) Evaluation of the effect of different adsorption times. (C) Evaluation of the effect of different adsorbent usage. (D) Evaluation of the effect of ionic strength. (E) Impact assessment of pH. (F) Evaluation of the effect of desorption time. (G) Evaluation of the effect of desorption reagents. (H) Evaluation of the reusability.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Adsorption mechanism characterization. (A) XPS analysis diagram of MMON before and after mycotoxin adsorption. (B) Diagram of electrostatic potential for mycotoxins and MMON. (C) Diagram of noncovalent interaction analysis of mycotoxins with MMON. (D) Scatter plot of noncovalent interactions of mycotoxins with MMON.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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