Technology offers hope on fight against mycotoxins

Again, mycotoxins are not homogeneous within a lot of any grain, even when all the grain comes from one field. Different bags of grain from the same farmer may have different mycotoxin levels, because mycotoxins do not appear uniformly throughout a crop.

An additional difficulty is the fact that there is a large number of different mycotoxins. More than 300 types of fungal toxins are currently known, of which, however, only some are regulated by law. Several types of mycotoxins can appear simultaneously; it is not unusual to find different trichothecenes in one product.

Mycotoxins are the most widely studied biological toxins, which contaminate foods at very low concentrations. They can occur in a variety of different crops and are estimated to be responsible for losses of 5-10% of crop production globally. While some toxins are relatively harmless, some are dangerous for instance aflatoxins, citrinin, ergot alkaloids fumonisins, ochratoxin A, patulin, trichothecenes and zearalenone.

Mycotoxins are found in nature and are almost unavoidable. They can infiltrate our food chain either directly or indirectly through contaminated plant-based food components or toxigenic fungal development on food. Mycotoxins can build up in ripening corn, cereals, soybeans, sorghum, peanuts, and other food and feed crops in the field and during transportation.

Both humans and animals can get sick from eating mycotoxin-contaminated food or feed, which can result in acute or chronic poisoning. In addition to worries regarding direct consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated foods and feeds, the public is concerned about the possibility of ingesting mycotoxin residues or metabolites in animal-derived food products such as meat, milk, or eggs.

Large doses of aflatoxins for example can lead to acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) and can be life threatening, usually through damage to the liver. Aflatoxins have also been shown to be genotoxic, meaning they can damage DNA and cause cancer in animal species. There is also evidence that they can cause liver cancer in humans.

Testing for mycotoxins has become an important regulatory standard throughout the food and feed production process; from farmers, to grain elevators, to the countless facilities producing finished products.

Nowadays, more than 100 countries have formal mycotoxin regulations for food and feed. The mycotoxin regulations are the most stringent in the EU, where various organizations and panEuropean networks contribute to combat the mycotoxin problem.

One quick and easy testing method is the enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This antibody-based test provides fully quantitative results not only for mycotoxins, but also for other risks, such as food allergens and drug residues. These tests are extremely easy to perform and provide results in only minutes.

These tests can give both screening and quantitative results, and can be cheaper than sourcing a third party facility for analytical testing methods. Rapid testing solutions allow safety experts to save time, reduce costs and keep testing within their own facilities.

Testing challenges

There are plenty of stumbling blocks to overcome when testing for mycotoxins. The sheer variety of products that require testing can be difficult to manage. The complex matrices encountered in mycotoxin analysis are a major challenge for laboratories. Mycotoxins may be present in various foods including cereals, nuts, coffee and dairy products.

Some matrices, such as spices, contain interfering substances which make analysis difficult. Animal feed is particularly difficult to analyze, because its exact composition is not always clear.

However, Modern technology has allowed testing several mycotoxins in one run. This has allowed a great chance to improve efficiency by screening both toxins and for instance fungicides.

Additionally, modern innovations have also allowed rapid testing of mycotoxins in the field as opposed to taking samples to the laboratory for analysis. It is to be expected that mycotoxins will stay with us in the future and climate change might have a negative influence in this respect. Several possibilities exist to mitigate the problems caused by mycotoxins. In particular prevention of mould growth and mycotoxin formation is key to the control of mycotoxins.

It is advisable to buy grains and nuts as fresh as possible; make sure that foods are stored properly – kept free of insects, dry, and not too warm; not keep foods for extended periods of time before being used; and. ensure a diverse diet – this not only helps to reduce mycotoxins exposure, but also improves nutrition.