Detection of Mycotoxins in Food Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: A Review

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungi that contaminate many important crops worldwide. Humans are commonly exposed to mycotoxins through the consumption of contaminated food products. Mycotoxin contamination is unpredictable and unavoidable; it occurs at any point in the food production system under favorable conditions, and they cannot be destroyed by common heat treatments, because of their high thermal stability. Early and fast detection plays an essential role in this unique challenge to monitor the presence of these compounds in the food chain. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an advanced spectroscopic technique that integrates Raman spectroscopic molecular fingerprinting and enhanced sensitivity based on nanotechnology to meet the requirement of sensitivity and selectivity, but that can also be performed in a cost-effective and straightforward manner. This Review focuses on the SERS methodologies applied to date for qualitative and quantitative analysis of mycotoxins based on a variety of SERS substrates, as well as our perspectives on current limitations and future trends for applying this technique to mycotoxin analyses.