Analysis of Multiple Mycotoxins in Food

Abstract

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of microscopic filamentous fungi. With regard to the widespread distribution of fungi in the environment, mycotoxins are considered to be one of the most important natural contaminants in foods and feeds. To protect consumers' health and reduce economic losses, surveillance and control of mycotoxins in food and feed has become a major objective for producers, regulatory authorities, and researchers worldwide. In this context, availability of reliable analytical methods applicable for this purpose is essential. Since the variety of chemical structures of mycotoxins makes impossible to use one single technique for their analysis, a vast number of analytical methods has been developed and validated. Both a large variability of food matrices and growing demands for a fast, cost-saving and accurate determination of multiple mycotoxins by a single method outline new challenges for analytical research. This strong effort is facilitated by technical developments in mass spectrometry allowing decreasing the influence of matrix effects in spite of omitting sample clean-up step. The current state-of-the-art together with future trends is presented in this chapter. Attention is focused mainly on instrumental method; advances in biosensors and other screening bioanalytical approaches enabling analysis of multiple mycotoxins are not discussed in detail.

Rapid Multiple Immunoenzyme Assay of Mycotoxins

“…Because there are considerable variations in the degree of contamination and the probability of mycotoxins being present in concentrations not exceeding MPRLs, accurate and sensitive quantitative detection methods are of primary importance. The development of such methods is mainly focused on chromatography [ 7 , 8 ], chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] or immunoassays [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Chromatography and mass spectrometry require the use of complex and expensive equipment and are therefore mainly applied for confirmatory analysis.…”

“…The unification of stages duration allows to carry out all floods/incubations/washings simultaneously in different wells of microplate containing immunoreactants of different specificity and by this way to obtain information about all controlled mycotoxins after one assay cycle. Three mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEA), were selected as test compounds owing to their wide presence in food stuffs and the significant threat they pose to consumers [ 10 , 14 , 15 ]. Efficiency of the developed assay was validated using corn samples as one from priority foodstuffs contaminated by mycotoxins [ 30 ] and poultry processing samples due to importance of contamination control along food chain and a lack of corresponding investigations for different matrixes of animal origin [ 31 , 32 ].…”

Variation of Fungal Metabolites in Sorghum Malts Used to Prepare Namibian Traditional Fermented Beverages Omalodu and Otombo

“…In addition, mycotoxigenic fungi can infiltrate deep into sorghum matrices and produce mycotoxins during the pre-harvest, storage, transportation, processing, and marketing stages [7]. Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites representing natural contaminants in raw materials, foods, and feeds [8]. The most dangerous mycotoxins are aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, patulin, and ergot alkaloids, produced by fungi belonging to Aspergillus , Penicillium , Claviceps , and Fusarium genera [9].…”

Development of a LC-MS/MS Method for the Multi-Mycotoxin Determination in Composite Cereal-Based Samples

“…These aspects are even more relevant in consideration of the probability to have the concomitant presence of more than a mycotoxin in a feed or food product [7,8] that can pose a real, and still now underestimated, increased level of risk for the end-consumer due to any potential additive, antagonistic, or synergistic toxic effects. Recently, a combined toxicity of deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FBs), or aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisin B1 (FB1), in the livers of piglets caused higher histopathological lesions and immune suppression [9,10].…”