Mycotoxin extraction from edible insects with natural deep eutectic solvents: a green alternative to conventional...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• Entomophagy (consumption of insects) is gaining global interest as a sustainable food source.
• Edible insects offer high nutritional value but may contain harmful mycotoxins.
• Lack of regulatory guidelines necessitates reliable methods for mycotoxin detection in insect-based foods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an environmentally friendly analytical method for simultaneous mycotoxin determination in edible insect products.
• To ensure the safety of insect-based foods through accurate mycotoxin analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) extraction method.
• Optimization of NADES composition (choline chloride:urea, 1:2 ratio with 15% water) using Fractional Factorial Design (FFD).
• Simultaneous detection of six key mycotoxins using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).

Main Results:

• The NADES-UHPLC-MS/MS method achieved high extraction recoveries (near 100% for most mycotoxins) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 13%.
• The method was successfully validated according to European Commission guidelines.
• The method was applied to analyze cricket flour, silkworm pupae powder, and black cricket powder.

Conclusions:

• The developed NADES-UHPLC-MS/MS method is efficient and reliable for mycotoxin analysis in insect-based foods.
• This method supports the safety and regulation of edible insects as a food source.
• It contributes to the growing field of entomophagy by addressing safety concerns.