Advanced approaches for detection of mycotoxins in foods

Mycotoxins are contaminants in food and feed produced as secondary metabolites by various fungi. In the literature, more than 500 mycotoxins are identified and described as toxic but the most frequently occurring are aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumotoxins, zearalenone and deoxynivalenol. Unknown consumption may cause mycotoxicosis resulting in hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity etc. Consequently, it is crucial to develop detection methods for mycotoxins that are sensitive, reliable, available and cost effective. Conventional approaches for detection of mycotoxins in food include chromatography techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and antibody-based immunoassays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).