This document specifies a procedure for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in chilli, paprika, black and white pepper, nutmeg, spice mix, liquorice (root and extracts), cocoa and cocoa products by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with immunoaffinity column clean-up and fluorescence detection (FLD).
This method has been validated in interlaboratory studies via the analysis of both naturally contaminated and spiked samples ranging from 1,0 µg/kg to 84,9 µg/kg for spices (paprika and chili [5], black and white pepper, nutmeg and spice mix [6]), ranging from 7,7 µg/kg to 96,8 µg/kg for liquorice and liquorice products [7] and ranging from 2,1 µg/kg to 26,3 µg/kg for cocoa and cocoa products [6].
For further information on the validation, see Clause 10 and Annex B.