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Toxins
Special Issues
Analytical Novelties and Challenges for the Detection of Natural Toxins
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Analytical Novelties and Challenges for the Detection of Natural Toxins

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4761

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teresa D’Amore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IRCCS CROB, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata, 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy
Interests: mass spectrometry; chromatography; regulatory toxicology; risk assessment; method validation; drugs; toxins; pesticides; trace elements; food additives & contaminants; nutraceuticals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sofia Agriopoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agricultural and Food, University of the Peloponnese, Campus Antikalamos Messinia, 24100 Kalamata, Greece
Interests: mycotoxins; food toxicology; food packaging; chemometrics; phytochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural toxins are very hazardous chemicals produced by a great variety of living organisms, including fungi, algae, bacteria, plants, insects, and animals. Exposure to these toxicants, mainly through the ingestion of contaminated foods, still represents a global concern for food security and consequently for animal and human health. Their introduction in the food chain may occur at different stages, from on-farm production to post-production, transport, storage, mixing, and distribution. Therefore, integrated and holistic approaches from production (e.g., good agricultural, farming and hygiene practices, training of crop and livestock workers and managers) to consumption (guidelines, establishment of maximum limits, monitoring program and surveillance) are necessary tools. The preventative analyses of raw materials and intermediate and finished products have a crucial role in minimizing toxin exposure worldwide. Analytical controls assume a key role in supporting decision-making and planning inputs and actions taken to protect consumers, animals, and the environment.

The importance and impact of the development, improvement, and validation of new multi-analyte and multi-matrix methods and protocols for the detection and characterization of toxins and their metabolites have been reignited thanks to novel world policies promoting a circular and green economy and a fair, secure, safe, and sustainable food system.

Given this complex context, this Special Issue in Toxins invites submissions of original research articles and reviews, aiming to compile research on analytical and technological novelties and challenges in the detection of natural toxins and their metabolites in food. Novel and improved methodologies by the means of high-content and high-throughput methods, i.e., multiclass chromatography and mass spectrometry, biosensors, and rapid and intelligent devices, as well as optimized and in-depth standardized protocols for monitoring, risk assessment, surveillance, and international validation studies, are particularly welcome.

Dr. Teresa D’Amore
Dr. Sofia Agriopoulou
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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

  • analytical methods
  • detection and quantification
  • food & feed safety
  • risk assessment
  • surveillance
  • natural toxins
  • emerging toxins
  • mycotoxins
  • biotoxins
  • phytotoxins
  • immunoassays
  • mass spectrometry
  • chromatography
  • biosensors
  • green analytical chemistry

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 411 KiB  
Communication
Deoxynivalenol Determination Using Innovative Lateral Flow Device Technology
by Halberstadt Delphine, Giorni Paola, Barato Erica and Bertuzzi Terenzio
Toxins 2025, 17(3), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17030123 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 576
Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON), generally the most widespread mycotoxin in wheat, is regulated by the EU regulation in cereals and cereal-derived products. Its presence can be detected by chromatographic or rapid methods; the latter technique is generally used in control analysis, fulfilling the needs of [...] Read more.
Deoxynivalenol (DON), generally the most widespread mycotoxin in wheat, is regulated by the EU regulation in cereals and cereal-derived products. Its presence can be detected by chromatographic or rapid methods; the latter technique is generally used in control analysis, fulfilling the needs of the stakeholders of the wheat grain chain. Lateral flow strips are often used for the rapid detection of different mycotoxins in several agricultural products; regarding DON determination, different lateral flow immunochromatography strips are currently available, also providing quantitative results. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of an innovative lateral flow device coupled to a bench top device, following a digital approach. The proposed method was compared to an LC-MS/MS method, analyzing 50 naturally contaminated wheat samples. The results obtained using the two methods were very similar and, applying a paired t-test, the mean difference between measurements resulted not significantly different (α = 0.003). The correlation between the results showed a slope of the line close to 1 (m = 0.9904) and a regression coefficient (r) of 0.9968. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analytical Novelties and Challenges for the Detection of Natural Toxins)
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16 pages, 988 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Alternaria Toxins and Pesticides in Organic and Conventional Tomato Products: Insights into Contamination Patterns and Food Safety Implications
by Tommaso Pacini, Teresa D’Amore, Stefano Sdogati, Emanuela Verdini, Rita Bibi, Angela Caporali, Elisa Cristofani, Carmen Maresca, Serenella Orsini, Alessandro Pelliccia, Eleonora Scoccia and Ivan Pecorelli
Toxins 2025, 17(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17010012 - 29 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1688
Abstract
Alternaria toxins (ATs) are a group of toxins produced by Alternaria fungi that frequently contaminate tomatoes and tomato products. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority evaluated ATs for their genotoxic and carcinogenic properties. Alternaria infestation is often controlled using ad hoc treatment strategies [...] Read more.
Alternaria toxins (ATs) are a group of toxins produced by Alternaria fungi that frequently contaminate tomatoes and tomato products. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority evaluated ATs for their genotoxic and carcinogenic properties. Alternaria infestation is often controlled using ad hoc treatment strategies (fungicides). In this study, two analytical methods were developed, validated and applied for the determination of five ATs and 195 pesticides in tomato products collected from the Italian market. Two distinct groups, organic (n = 20) and conventional (n = 20) Italian tomato sauces, were characterized in depth. Tenuazonic acid, alternariol and alternariol monomethyl ether were found up to 517, 27 and 7.1 µg/kg, respectively, while pesticides were detected between 0.0026 and 0.0421 mg/kg in conventional products, and, interestingly, up to 0.0130 mg/kg in organic products. No correlation emerged between the detected levels of ATs and pesticides and the type of tomato cultivation, but the probability of pesticide contamination in conventional products was eight times higher than in organics. Some considerations about exposure assessment and risk characterization for ATs were also proposed in the overall population and in more sensitive and/or exposed subgroups, underlining the need for new focused toxicological and monitoring studies to establish reliable reference values. Moreover, these data highlight that fungicide treatments may not protect tomatoes from ATs contamination, although it may remove fungi infestation. As organic product consumption is increasing, it is important to lay down dedicated regulations for maximum permitted levels to ensure the food safety of these products that are often perceived by consumers as a healthier and environmentally friendlier choice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analytical Novelties and Challenges for the Detection of Natural Toxins)
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15 pages, 2039 KiB  
Article
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) Toxins in Bivalve Molluscs from Southern Italy Analysed by Liquid Chromatography Coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS)
by Pasquale Gallo, Sara Lambiase, Ida Duro, Mauro Esposito and Angela Pepe
Toxins 2024, 16(11), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16110502 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1442
Abstract
A new method for simultaneous determination by liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) of 14 paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSP), that is, Saxitoxin, Neosaxitoxin, Gonyautoxins and their respective variants, in bivalve molluscs, is herein described. The samples were extracted by [...] Read more.
A new method for simultaneous determination by liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) of 14 paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSP), that is, Saxitoxin, Neosaxitoxin, Gonyautoxins and their respective variants, in bivalve molluscs, is herein described. The samples were extracted by acetic acid solution, then analysed by UHPLC coupled with a Q-Exactive Orbitrap Plus high resolution mass spectrometer, by electrospray ionization mode (ESI) with no further clean up step. The analysis was carried out by monitoring both the exact mass of the molecular precursor ion of each compound (in mass scan mode, resolution at 70,000 FWHM) and its respective fragmentation patterns (two product ions) with mass accuracy greater than 5 ppm. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated calculating trueness, as mean recoveries of each biotoxin, between 77.8% and 111.9%, a within-laboratory reproducibility (RSDR) between 3.6% and 12.2%, the specificity, the linearity of detector response, and the ruggedness for slight changes The results of the validation study demonstrate this method fits for the purposes of the official control of PSP toxins in molluscs. The results of two years of monitoring in local mussel farms are also reported, showing that no significant concerns for food safety in the monitored productions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Analytical Novelties and Challenges for the Detection of Natural Toxins)
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