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Foods
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Advances in Analytical Techniques for Detecting Toxins in Foods
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Advances in Analytical Techniques for Detecting Toxins in Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 4198

Editors

Dr. Dragana Bartolić

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Guest Editor
Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: analytical chemistry; toxicology; food chemistry and safety; spectroscopic techniques; functional nanomaterials; biotic and abiotic stressors; plant defense metabolites; plant disease diagnostics; rapid detection methods
Prof. Dr. Ksenija Radotić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: nanostructured materials; plant biomass-based composites; biopolymer-based hydrogels; biomedical and agricultural applications of nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toxins are poisonous substances of biological origin, produced by a variety of organisms including fungi, bacteria, plants, algae, and certain animals, which may contaminate food at specific concentrations and adversely affect human and animal health. The application of advanced analytical methods, including chromatographic methods, mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopic and imaging techniques, immunoassays, and molecular methods, plays a key role in the detection and identification of toxins in food, particularly within the field of food forensics. These methods are widely applied in food safety control, quality assurance, regulatory monitoring, and the investigation of food fraud and contamination incidents. This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest research on innovative detection approaches for toxin risk factors in food, including advanced instrumental techniques.  We welcome original research and review articles covering diverse analytical methods used in food toxin detection.

Dr. Dragana Bartolić
Prof. Dr. Ksenija Radotić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • toxins
  • food contamination
  • analytical methods
  • chromatographic methods
  • mass spectrometry
  • spectroscopic techniques
  • immunoassays
  • imaging techniques
  • molecular techniques
  • food forensics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1911 KB  
Article
Comprehensive IAC Cross-Reactivity Validation and Stabilized Method Development for Ochratoxin A, B, and C in Complex Coffee and Spice Matrices
by Jiaojiao Xu, Zengxuan Cai, Mengli Wang, Xiaomin Xu and Haitao Shen
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4102; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234102 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 765
Abstract
Ochratoxins (OTs) pose a major food safety threat, yet analytical methodologies and regulations focus almost exclusively on ochratoxin A (OTA), overlooking the toxic analogues OTB and OTC, especially in complex coffee and spice matrices. The present study addressed this gap by first systematically [...] Read more.
Ochratoxins (OTs) pose a major food safety threat, yet analytical methodologies and regulations focus almost exclusively on ochratoxin A (OTA), overlooking the toxic analogues OTB and OTC, especially in complex coffee and spice matrices. The present study addressed this gap by first systematically confirming the high cross-reactivity (>85%) of commercial OTA immunoaffinity columns (IACs) toward OTB and OTC. It was identified that conventional alkaline methanol extraction caused OTC degradation, and subsequently a stable and unified acetonitrile-water (8/2, v/v) extraction protocol was developed. To overcome severe matrix interference endemic to these foods, a novel 0.5% Tween-20-PBS IAC load and wash procedure was optimized. The resulting method was fully validated in representative roasted coffee and pepper matrices on both HPLC-FLD and UHPLC-MS/MS platforms, demonstrating excellent linearity (r > 0.999), accuracy (mean recovery 82.00–112.51%), and precision (RSD% ≤ 8.81%) across three spiked levels (0.3, 5, 10 µg/kg). While UHPLC-MS/MS achieved higher sensitivity (LOQs 0.1 µg/kg) than that of HPLC-FLD (LOQs 0.3 µg/kg), with isotope internal standards essential for correcting significant matrix effects. Application to forty commercial coffee and spice samples (19 coffee, 21 spice) revealed OTA contamination in 47.5% of products (up to 3.46 µg/kg) and co-occurrence of OTA/OTB in 3 of 8 cumin samples. This work establishes the first comprehensively validated IAC-based method for multi-OTs in complex foods, facilitating an urgently needed, robust tool for comprehensive risk assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Analytical Techniques for Detecting Toxins in Foods)
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18 pages, 5355 KB  
Article
Preparation and Application of Magnetic Microporous Organic Networks for Rapid Adsorption Enrichment of Multiple Mycotoxins in Complex Food Matrices
by Chuang Wang, Jing Zhang, Yu-Xin Wang, Dan-Dan Kong, Jian-Xin Lv, Yuan-Yuan Zhang, Xue-Li Li, Xin-Xin Kang, Meng-Yue Guo, Jiao-Yang Luo and Mei-Hua Yang
Foods 2025, 14(23), 3984; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14233984 - 21 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 912
Abstract
Mycotoxins commonly contaminate grains and traditional Chinese medicinal materials, posing serious health risks to humans and animals. To address this issue, a magnetic microporous organic network (MMON) was synthesized via an in situ growth method and Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling for the simultaneous adsorption of [...] Read more.
Mycotoxins commonly contaminate grains and traditional Chinese medicinal materials, posing serious health risks to humans and animals. To address this issue, a magnetic microporous organic network (MMON) was synthesized via an in situ growth method and Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling for the simultaneous adsorption of seven mycotoxins, followed by UPLC-MS/MS detection. The optimized MMON featured a high surface area, uniform micropores, and rapid magnetic separation within 5 s. Structural and compositional analyses confirmed its tailored architecture, while DFT calculations revealed a pore confinement effect, π–π stacking, and hydrophobic interactions as the primary adsorption mechanisms. A magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method using 8 mg of MMON achieved adsorption equilibrium within 10 s in 5 mL of a 4 mg/L mycotoxin standard solution. The material maintained over 95% efficiency across ten reuse cycles at a low cost. Under optimal conditions, an MSPE-UPLC-MS/MS method with a low detection limit (0.002–0.15 μg/L), wide linear range (0.01–100.0 μg/L), large enrichment factor (20.1–21.9), low adsorbent dosage, and short extraction time was developed. The determination of mycotoxins in complex grain-based foods and herbal products was also realized with recoveries of 81.32% to 116.10%. This work offers a rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput approach for mycotoxin detection, supporting quality control in food and herbal product safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Analytical Techniques for Detecting Toxins in Foods)
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15 pages, 5956 KB  
Article
Dual-Mode Plasmonic Colorimetric/Photothermal Aptasensor for OTA: Based on a Mn2+-Powered DNA Walker for Mediating AuNB Growth
by Zhi Li, Quan Liu, Hongwei Zhang, Yu Xiao, Ming Li, Xiaojie Chai, Jianlong Ji, Jindong Li and Shu Qin
Foods 2025, 14(21), 3767; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213767 - 3 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 952
Abstract
The sensitive and efficient detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) is critical for protecting agricultural ecosystems and public health. A dual-mode plasmonic colorimetric/photothermal aptasensor, based on a Mn2+-powered DNA walker for mediating gold nanobipyramid (AuNB) growth, is proposed for OTA detection in [...] Read more.
The sensitive and efficient detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) is critical for protecting agricultural ecosystems and public health. A dual-mode plasmonic colorimetric/photothermal aptasensor, based on a Mn2+-powered DNA walker for mediating gold nanobipyramid (AuNB) growth, is proposed for OTA detection in this study. In sensing the target OTA, the walking DNA (W-DNA) on the magnetic walker probe was independent and then the environment-friendly Mn2+ powered the generation of DNAzyme, where abundant thiol-modified DNA (DNA-SH) was produced by autonomous walking. The positively related DNA-SH level could mediate AuNB growth and reflect dual-mode plasmonic signals. Ultrasensitivity is demonstrated with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 48.6 pg mL−1 for colorimetric mode and 37.6 pg mL−1 for photothermal mode. The aptasensor exhibited high specificity (with cross-reactivity values below 6.2% for other analytes) and high reliability for OTA detection. The requisite practicability and accessibility are verified via its application in agricultural byproduct samples. The findings of this study offer an alternative and efficient biosensing pathway for improving detection performance, enabling green, enzyme-free, homogeneous, and dual-mode strategies for monitoring other pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Analytical Techniques for Detecting Toxins in Foods)
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