Special Issue "Application of Novel Methods for Mycotoxins Analysis"

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Biancamaria Ciasca
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council of Italy, Via Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: mycotoxins and metabolites, food safety, analytical methods, method validation
Dr. Veronica Maria Teresa Lattanzio
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council of Italy, Via Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: natural toxins; food safety; analytical methods
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Crop contamination by mycotoxins is a global problem that poses significant economic burdens due to food/feed losses caused by reduced production rates; adverse effects on human and animal health and productivity; and trade losses associated with costs incurred by inspection, sampling, and analysis before and after shipments. Besides regulated mycotoxins, which are of major toxicological relevance, hundreds of mycotoxins and metabolites are listed as possibly (co)occurring contaminants in food/feed commodities.

Having available reliable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly analytical strategies for the characterization of the chemical structure, incidence, and toxicological effects of mycotoxins and relevant metabolites is essential to support food business operators as well as risk assessors in undertaking mycotoxin-related food safety issues. The varied nature and complexity of the food/feed matrix, different contamination levels, time and costs constraints, and matching available technologies with operator skills are some of the challenging aspects to deal with in method development.   

Addressing the above-mentioned challenges, this Special Issue of Toxins focuses on the development and application of novel analytical methods for the detection of mycotoxins, and their transformation products in food and feed. The advantages, disadvantages, and key steps of each methodology shall be addressed as well as the inter-laboratory reproducibility of the proposed methodologies.  Particular attention will be paid to the following:

-Multiple-mycotoxin detection approaches for the assessment of the risk of exposure to mycotoxin mixtures;

-Metabolomics and chemometric approaches to understanding biochemical mechanisms of host–pathogen interactions;

-Emerging validation issues with a focus on the standardization and harmonization of untargeted approaches and the use of quality control procedures;

-Rapid screening methodologies for fungal and/or mycotoxins contamination based on microchips;

-On-line, nondestructive technologies to be applied in food industry to measure, evaluate, and in-line sort mycotoxins and mycotoxigenic fungal contaminants;

-Novel materials for biosensing including antibodies, enzymes, molecular imprinted polymers, and aptamers;

-Eco-friendly approaches for mycotoxins detection.

Dr. Biancamaria Ciasca
Dr. Veronica Maria Teresa Lattanzio
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 papers will be 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 2400 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

  • mycotoxins
  • rapid methods
  • metabolomics
  • biosensors
  • method validation
  • green chemistry

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Cleaving Ergot Alkaloids by Hydrazinolysis—A Promising Approach for a Sum Parameter Screening Method
Toxins 2021, 13(5), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13050342 - 11 May 2021
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins formed by fungi of the Claviceps genus, which are some of the most common contaminants of food and feed worldwide. These toxins are a structurally heterogeneous group of compounds, sharing an ergoline backbone. Six structures and their corresponding stereoisomers [...] Read more.
Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins formed by fungi of the Claviceps genus, which are some of the most common contaminants of food and feed worldwide. These toxins are a structurally heterogeneous group of compounds, sharing an ergoline backbone. Six structures and their corresponding stereoisomers are typically quantified by either HPLC-FLD or HPLC-MS/MS and the values subsequently summed up to determine the total ergot alkaloid content. For the development of a screening method targeting all ergot alkaloids simultaneously, the alkaloids need to be transferred to one homogeneous structure: a lysergic acid derivative. In this study, two promising cleaving methods—acidic esterification and hydrazinolysis—are compared, using dihydroergocristine as a model compound. While the acidic esterification proved to be unsuitable, due to long reaction times and oxidation sensitivity, hydrazinolysis reached a quantitative yield in 40‒60 min. Parallel workup of several samples is possible. An increasing effect on the reaction rate by the addition of ammonium iodide was demonstrated. Application of hydrazinolysis to a major ergot alkaloid mix solution showed that all ergopeptines were cleaved, but ergometrine/-inine was barely affected. Still, hydrazinolysis is a suitable tool for the development of a sum parameter screening method for ergot alkaloids in food and feed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Novel Methods for Mycotoxins Analysis)
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Article
Determination of Zearalenone and Trichothecenes, Including Deoxynivalenol and Its Acetylated Derivatives, Nivalenol, T-2 and HT-2 Toxins, in Wheat and Wheat Products by LC-MS/MS: A Collaborative Study
Toxins 2020, 12(12), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12120786 - 10 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 857
Abstract
An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of trichothecenes—namely, nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated derivatives (3- and 15-acetyl-DON), T-2 and HT-2 toxins—and zearalenone (ZEN) in wheat, wheat flour, and wheat crackers was validated through a collaborative study involving 15 participants from [...] Read more.
An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of trichothecenes—namely, nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated derivatives (3- and 15-acetyl-DON), T-2 and HT-2 toxins—and zearalenone (ZEN) in wheat, wheat flour, and wheat crackers was validated through a collaborative study involving 15 participants from 10 countries. The validation study, performed within the M/520 standardization mandate of the European Commission, was carried out according to the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) International Harmonized Protocol. The method was based on mycotoxin extraction from the homogenized sample material with a mixture of acetonitrile-water followed by purification and concentration on a solid phase extraction column. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used for mycotoxin detection, using isotopically labelled mycotoxins as internal standards. The tested contamination ranges were from 27.7 to 378 μg/kg for NIV, from 234 to 2420 μg/kg for DON, from 18.5 to 137 μg/kg for 3-acetyl-DON, from 11.4 to 142 μg/kg for 15-acetyl-DON, from 2.1 to 37.6 μg/kg for T-2 toxin, from 6.6 to 134 μg/kg for HT-2 toxin, and from 31.6 to 230 μg/kg for ZEN. Recoveries were in the range 71–97% with the lowest values for NIV, the most polar mycotoxin. The relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) was in the range of 2.2–34%, while the relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) was between 6.4% and 45%. The HorRat values ranged from 0.4 to 2.0. The results of the collaborative study showed that the candidate method is fit for the purpose of enforcing the legislative limits of the major Fusarium toxins in wheat and wheat-based products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Novel Methods for Mycotoxins Analysis)
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Article
Development of an Ultrasensitive and Rapid Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay for Ochratoxin A in Rice
Toxins 2020, 12(11), 682; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12110682 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 813
Abstract
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a known food contaminant that affects a wide range of food and agricultural products. The presence of this fungal metabolite in foods poses a threat to human health. Therefore, various detection and quantification methods have been developed to determine [...] Read more.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a known food contaminant that affects a wide range of food and agricultural products. The presence of this fungal metabolite in foods poses a threat to human health. Therefore, various detection and quantification methods have been developed to determine its presence in foods. Herein, we describe a rapid and ultrasensitive tracer-based fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) for the detection of OTA in rice samples. Four fluorescent tracers OTA-fluorescein thiocarbamoyl ethylenediamine (EDF), OTA-fluorescein thiocarbamoyl butane diamine (BDF), OTA-amino-methyl fluorescein (AMF), and OTA-fluorescein thiocarbamoyl hexame (HDF) with fluorescence polarization values (δFP = FPbind-FPfree) of 5, 100, 207, and 80 mP, respectively, were synthesized. The tracer with the highest δFP value (OTA-AMF) was selected and further optimized for the development of an ultrasensitive FPIA with a detection range of 0.03–0.78 ng/mL. A mean recovery of 70.0% to 110.0% was obtained from spiked rice samples with a relative standard deviation of equal to or less than 20%. Good correlations (r2 = 0.9966) were observed between OTA levels in contaminated rice samples obtained by the FPIA method and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a reference method. The rapidity of the method was confirmed by analyzing ten rice samples that were analyzed within 25 min, on average. The sensitivity, accuracy, and rapidity of the method show that it is suitable for screening and quantification of OTA in food samples without the cumbersome pre-analytical steps required in other mycotoxin detection methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Novel Methods for Mycotoxins Analysis)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Biosensors for early detection of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species
Authors: Epifanio Castro-del Ángel; Abiel Sánchez-Arizpe; Ma. Elizabeth Galindo-Cepeda; Mario Ernesto-Vázquez Badillo; Agustín Hernández-Juarez
Affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología. Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Calzada Antonio Narro 1923, C.P. 25315, Saltillo, Coahuila, México
Abstract: Biosensors are devices used to detect the presence or concentration of a biological analyte, such as a biomolecule, a biological structure or a microorganism. The integration of bioreceptors, nanomaterials, and different read-out techniques is capable of accomplishing the rapid, sensitive, and multiplexed detection of mycotoxins. There is an increasing demand to enhance global food security by improving the monitoring of mycotoxins throughout our food supply chain. Accurate detection and monitoring of mycotoxins is an essential component of the prevention, diagnosis, and remediation of mycotoxin-related issues in livestock and human food. This review will discuss biosensing method: molecularly imprinted polymer, aptasensor, optical biosensors, electrochemical biosensors and immunosensor, the advantages of using biosensors in comparison with the other methods of analysis.

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