Mycotoxin analytical methods include rapid screening and confirmation techniques in food and feed matrices. Furthermore, mycotoxin exposure can be determined both indirectly (based on the combination of chemical analysis of foodstuffs and food consumption data) as directly by the determination of exposure biomarkers, mycotoxin biotransformation products, in biological fluids, such as urine or blood. Nowadays the amount of publications covering rapid and sensitive on-site tests suitable for non-laboratory simultaneous determination of several analytes in various matrices is constantly rising. Development of both quantitative (ELISA, FLISA, immunosensors) and qualitative (lateral flow, membrane-based flow-through, column test) systems for (multi)mycotoxin detection is one of the fast-growing trends. Developments of various recognition elements as well as novel sensitive labels are currently ongoing in order to design a reliable and rapid test-system. Natural receptors such as antibodies are most widely used, but also their synthetic analogues and engineered elements can be employed. Working with complicated matrices or designing of a regenerable test-system can only be realized through the use of stable molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) or synthetic peptides. Whereas scFv and scAb fragments or aptamers cannot stand an aggressive environment, they provide high specificity, which is important for analysis of structurally-related compounds. Different labels can be used in immunochemical methods depending on the sample matrix, starting from enzymes (as the most sensitive label) to colloidal gold (widely used for rapid screening of biological fluids). Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a new class of fluorescent labels for biomedical diagnostics, molecular imaging and chemical analysis. The unique optical properties of QDs enable the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes on one single spot provided their conjugates are labeled with QDs which are fluorescent in different parts of the spectrum. Different strategies can be employed for QDs hydrophilization (such as encapsulation with amphiphilic polymer, silica and liposomes) performing different functionalities on the surface and therefore ensuring different conjugation techniques to synthesize QD-labeled immunoreagents. This presentation will give an insight into current trends and innovations in immunochemical methods for (multi)mycotoxin rapid screening.

Immunochemical methods for rapid screening of (multi)mycotoxins

251st National Meeting (2016)

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