Mycotoxin detection in food and feed: bridging conventional analytical methods with emerging sensor-based...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• Mycotoxins are toxic fungal metabolites contaminating agricultural products, posing risks to food security, public health, and trade.
• Key mycotoxins like aflatoxins and ochratoxin A cause severe health issues, including cancer and organ damage.
• Conventional detection methods are accurate but impractical for routine or field monitoring due to cost and complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in mycotoxin detection technologies.
• To highlight sensor-based methods as rapid, portable, and cost-effective alternatives.
• To introduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as novel, non-invasive biomarkers for early fungal detection.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on mycotoxin detection.
• Synthesis of information on conventional analytical techniques (chromatography, spectroscopy).
• Analysis of emerging sensor technologies (electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, electronic-nose, gas sensors) and VOC detection.

Main Results:

• Sensor-based technologies provide rapid, portable, and affordable mycotoxin detection.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) show potential as early, non-invasive indicators of fungal contamination.
• Established methods offer high accuracy but lack field applicability.

Conclusions:

• Sensor technologies and VOC analysis offer promising solutions for real-time food and feed safety surveillance.
• These advancements can significantly improve the detection of fungal contamination.
• Further research into VOCs as biomarkers is warranted.