*Article* **Undertaking a New Regulatory Challenge: Monitoring of Ergot Alkaloids in Italian Food Commodities**

**Veronica Maria Teresa Lattanzio 1, Emanuela Verdini 2, Stefano Sdogati 2, Angela Caporali 2, Biancamaria Ciasca <sup>1</sup> and Ivan Pecorelli 2,\***

<sup>1</sup> National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Sciences of Food Production, Via Amendola 122/O,

70126 Bari, Italy; veronica.lattanzio@ispa.cnr.it (V.M.T.L.); biancamaria.ciasca@ispa.cnr.it (B.C.)


**Abstract:** The present manuscript reports on monitoring data of 12 ergot alkaloids (EAs) in cereal and cereal-derived products, collected in Italy over the period 2017–2020, for official control purposes under the edge of the Commission Recommendation 2012/154/EU on the monitoring of the presence of EAs in feed and food. To these purposes, an LC-MS/MS method was set up and applied, after in-house verification of its analytical performance. Besides satisfactory recoveries and precision, the method's quantification limits proved suitable to assess the compliance of cereals and cereal-based foods with the recently issued EU maximum permitted levels (Commission Regulation 2021/1399/EU). The validity of the generated data was also evaluated through the adoption of four proficiency tests, from which acceptable z-score values (−2 ≤ z ≤ 2) were obtained. The method was then applied to analyse a total of 67 samples, collected in Italy over the period 2017–2020. The samples consisted of 18 cereal grains, 16 flours (14 of wheat and 2 of spelt) and 31 other types of cereals derivatives (including 9 for infants). Overall, the EAs analysis returned a high percentage of left-censored data (>86%). Among the positive samples, the highest contamination levels, up to 94.2 μg/kg, were found for ergocristine (12% incidence), followed by ergocristinine (7% incidence) with levels of up to 48.3 μg/kg.

**Keywords:** ergot alkaloids; LC-MS/MS method; wheat; cereal products; occurrence

**Key Contribution:** A new regulation, setting the EU's maximum permitted level for 12 EAs has been issued (Commission Regulation 2021/1399/EU). Data were collected for 12 EAs in cereals and derived products. A fit-for-purpose LC-MS/MS method was validated. Among the positive samples, the highest contamination levels—up to 94.2 μg/kg—were found for ergocristine.
