Determination of T-2 and HT-2 Toxins in Oats and Oat-Based Breakfast Cereals by Liquid-Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Hydrogel SERS chip with strong localized surface plasmon resonance for sensitive and rapid detection of T-2 toxin

T-2 toxin is one of the naturally dangerous food contaminants, which is harmful to people and animals. Because of its strong toxicity and wide distribution, it is vital to develop a rapid and effective method for the detection of T-2 toxin. Herein, an excellent hydrogel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip is constructed for developing a novel SERS sensor to detect T-2 toxin using a portable Raman spectrometer. The SERS chip is prepared by in-situ Ca2+-mediated assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in PVA solution, followed by a physical crosslinking possess. The assembled AgNPs produces a strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) at around 532 nm, which enables the high activity of SERS chip under the irradiation of 532 nm laser. Additionally, the unique structure of hydrogel makes the obtained chip show excellent reliability and anti-interference ability in detection. As a result, the developed SERS sensor shows many obvious advantageous including free of complex sample pretreatment (only a simple extraction), fast response (5 min), low limit of detection (0.41 ppb), wide detection range (1-10000 ppb), good recoveries (90.26-101.81 %) and relative standard deviations (2.8-6.7 %). Therefore, this SERS sensor provides a promising choice for rapid scanning and sensitive detection of trace T-2 toxin in complex matrices.

A fluorescence aptasensor based on controlled zirconium-based MOFs for the highly sensitive detection of T-2 toxin

T-2 toxin is one of class A trichothecene mycotoxins produced by Fusarium, presenting genotoxic, cytotoxicity, and immunotoxicity for animals and humans. Therefore, It is urgent to establish a rapid test method with high sensitivity, good selectivity and reliability. In this research, by adjusting the synthesis conditions, a kind of NH₂-UiO-66 with high quenching efficiency was screened out. On this basis, we constructed a novel fluorescence sensor via Cy3-labeled aptamer (Cy3-aptamer). With the help of π-π interaction, hydrogen bond and coordination, NH₂-UiO-66 could adsorb and quench the fluorescence of Cy3-aptamer based on FRET and PET. In the presence of T-2 toxin, it recognized and bound to Cy3-aptamer, leading to the disintegration of the NH₂-UiO-66/Cy3-aptamer compound. As the energy transfer process was blocked, the fluorescence intensity was restored, enabling a highly sensitive response to T-2 toxin. There was a good linear correlation between fluorescence intensity and T-2 toxin concentration in the range of 0.5-100 ng ml ^-1. The LOD of this fluorescence aptasensor was 0.239 ng ml^-1 (S/N = 3). Besides, the recoveries of milk and beer were 89.86-108.99% (RSD = 2.0-2.6%) and 92.31-111.51% (RSD = 2.3-2.9%), respectively. The fluorescence aptasensor exhibited advantages of excellent analytical performance, convenient operation procedure and good selectivity. Predictably, the aptasensor was supposed to detect antibiotics and other pollutants, describing an intriguing blueprint and potential application prospect in food safety, biochemical sensing and environmental conservation.

Review on the Biological Detoxification of Mycotoxins Using Lactic Acid Bacteria to Enhance the Sustainability of Foods Supply

The challenges to fulfill the demand for a safe food supply are dramatically increasing. Mycotoxins produced by certain fungi cause great economic loss and negative impact on the sustainability of food supplies. Moreover, the occurrence of mycotoxins at high levels in foods poses a high health threat for the consumers. Biological detoxification has exhibited a high potential to detoxify foodstuffs on a cost-effective and large scale. Lactic acid bacteria showed a good potential as an alternative strategy for the elimination of mycotoxins. The current review describes the health and economic impacts associated with mycotoxin contamination in foodstuffs. Moreover, this review highlights the biological detoxification of common food mycotoxins by lactic acid bacteria.