ELISA and UPLC/FLD as Screening and Confirmatory Techniques for T-2/HT-2 Mycotoxin Determination in Cereals

Abstract

T-2 and HT-2 toxins are secondary metabolites of various species of Fusarium. These molecules can have high potential toxic effects for human and animal health. In this work, ELISA and ultra performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (UPLC/FLD) were implemented and validated as screening and confirmatory tests for the detection of these two toxins in cereal samples. The developed methods were tested by analyzing 100 samples of cereals by ELISA screening for reducing costs and analysis time and then using UPLC/FLD for confirmation purposes. Both methods met the performance criteria for sensitivity, linearity, selectivity, precision, and ruggedness, as reported in the European Decision No. 2002/657/EC and in Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006. The correlation between ELISA and UPLC/FLD approaches showed good results (r = 0.9056), confirming that these two techniques should be considered to be complementary in the official control activities of cereal and derived products.

Monitoring of Animal Feed Contamination by Mycotoxins: Results of Five Years of Official Control by an Accredited Italian Laboratory

“…The kit for the determination of AF was supplied by Tecna (Gold Standard Diagnostics s.r.l., Trieste, Italy), for FUMO determination by Euroclone (Euroclone S.p.A., Pero, Milan, Italy), and for OCRA, DON, ZEA, and T-2/HT-2 by R-Biopharm (R-Biopharm Italia s.r.l., Melegnano, Milan, Italy). The capability of ELISA to carry out a large number of determinations at a low cost, rapidly, and with high sensitivity makes the choice of such a technique extremely affordable for laboratories in charge of food inspection, especially if compared to other approaches such as chromatographic techniques, which are better suited for confirmatory analysis purposes [ 2 ].…”

“…The mycotoxins considered the most significant in food safety monitoring programs are Aflatoxins (AFs), which are secondary metabolites mainly produced by certain fungi such as Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus parasiticus , and Aspergillus nomius ; Deoxynivalenol (DON), Zearalenone (ZEA), and Fumonisins (FUMO) produced by Fusarium fungi; and Ochratoxin A (OCRA) and T-2/HT-2 toxins produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus fungi. The main toxins produced by these fungi are thermostable, so they can exist as residue in animal feed after production for long durations [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

Aflatoxins contamination in nuts for direct human consumption: analytical findings from three years of official control in Italy

“…As well‐known, the immunoassay methods may show a slight overestimation (D’Agnello et al ., 2021); therefore, in order to improve results reliability, some ‘non‐complaint’ samples (concentration higher than ML) were confirmed by using a validated and accredited chromatographic method by HPLC/FLD (Muscarella et al ., 2009).…”

Prevalence, Identification and Mycotoxigenic Potential of Fungi in Common Spices Used in Local Malaysian Cuisines

“…Nevertheless, spices are prone to be contaminated with various contaminants, including mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins [ 3 ]. The susceptibility of other foodstuffs such as nuts, cereals, peanuts, maize and rice was also reported worldwide [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Mycotoxigenic fungi are able to produce naturally occurring toxic metabolites in these commodities known as mycotoxins if the storage conditions are favourable to the fungal growth [ 8 ].…”