Food safety mycotoxins

Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food Safety, edited by Kaushal K. Sinha and Deepak Bhatnagar... 

Table 17.1 Specific mycotoxins that are produced by different genera of fungi important for food safety...

Abramson D (1998), Mycotoxin formation and environmental factors , in Sinha K K and Bhatnagar D, Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food Safety, Marcel Dekker, New York, 255-277. 

D Mello J P F (2003), Mycotoxins in cereal grains, nuts and other plant products , Food Safety Contaminants and Toxins, CAB International, Wallingford, 65-90. 

Major chemical contaminants implicated in food safety include pesticides, herbicides, myeotoxins and antibiotics. These analytes have been targeted by numerous groups developing SPR biosensors. As these analytes are rather small (typical molecular weight < 1,000), inhibition assay has been a preferred detection format. Examples of chemical contaminants detected by SPR biosensors include pesticides atrazine and simazine (detection limits 0.05 ng/ml and 0.1 ng/ml respectively), mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 (detection limit 50 ng/ml ), and antibiotics Sulphamethazine, Sulphadiazine (detection limits 1 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml respectively). 

Park, D.L., Njapau, H. and Coker, R.D., Sampling programs for mycotoxins perspectives and recommendations, in Miraglia, M., van Egmond, H.P., Brera C. and Gilbert, J., eds., Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins Developments in Chemistry, Toxicology and Food Safety, Alaken Inc, Colorado, 1998. 

JL Richard. Mycotoxins, toxicity and metabolism in animals a systems approach overview. In M Miraglia, HP van Egmond, C Brera, J Gilbert, eds. Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins—Developments in Chemistry, Toxicology and Food Safety. Fort Collins, CO Alaken, 1998, pp 363-397. 

The majority of toxicants in foods are contaminants, (e.g., microbial toxins, pesticide residues, leachable chemicals from packaging materials, food coatings, traces of heavy metals). However, the major issue in food safety is the contamination of food by mycotoxins in items such as milk and milk products, meat and meat products, and peanuts (groundnuts). Aflatoxin is highly toxic and lethal, and its carcinogenic potential is well established, even at doses as low as 0.05. ig. Mycotoxins also infect food products like rice, pulses, tapioca, and betelnuts. (Table 10-2). 

G. A. Payne, Process of Contamination by Aflatoxin-Producing Fungi and Their Impact on Crops. In Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food Safety K. K. Sinha, D. Bhatnagar, Eds. Marcel Dekker New York, 1998 pp 279-306. 

Van Egmond HP, Speijers GJA Natural Toxins. I. Mycotoxins in Vander Heijden K, Younes M, Fishbein L, Miller S (eds) International Food Safety Handbook Science International Regulation and Control. NewTbrk, Dekker, 1999, pp 341-355. 

Coker RD Design of sampling plans for determination of mycotoxin in food and feed in Sinha KK, Bhatnagar D (eds) Mycotoxin in Agriculture and Food Safety. New York, Dekker, 1998, pp 109-134. Wilson DM, Sydenham EW, Lombaert GA, Trucksess MW, Abramson D, Bennett GA Mycotoxin analytical techniques in Sinha KK, Bhatnagar D (eds) Mycotoxin in Agriculture and Food Safety. New York, Dekker, 1998, pp 135-182. 

Chu FS Recent studies on immunoassays for mycotoxins in Beier RC, Stanker LH (eds) Immunoassays for Residue Analysis. Food Safety ACS Symposium Series Book, Washington, American Chemical Society, 1996, No 621, pp 294—313. 

Riley RT Mechanistic interactions of mycotoxins. Theoretical considerations in Sinha KK, Bhatnagar D (eds) Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food Safety. New York, Dekker, 1998, pp 266-254. 

Rohens, J., Cardwell, K.F. (2005). The cost of mycotoxin management in the United States. In Aflatoxin and Food Safety (H.K. Ahhas, ed.), pp. 1-12. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 

It is essential that FF-RMs are as similar as possible to the real samples as also holds true for other CRMs, e.g. environmental samples [7], This is often not possible due to very complex and delicate food and feed matrices especially as CRMs must show stability over a certain range of time. In food safety and quality, CRMs play an important role in the analysis of e.g. food microbial contamination, food contaminants such as mycotoxins, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and food residues such as veterinary drug residues (hormones, antibiotics) and pesticides. CRMs for food quality control are important for analysis of food constituents such as fat, sugar and protein content or of typical indicators for the food origin (e.g. stable isotopes in wine). In addition, FF-RMs are used in proficiency testing, although most of this testing is done with non-certified assay materials (PTMs). 

The technology of the immunochromatographic test, also called lateral flow test or strip test, has been used for many years. However, its application to food safety, especially in mycotoxin testing is quite recent. The typical immunochromatographic test strip consists of a sample pad conjugate pad, membrane absorbent pad and adhesive backing. 

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