Low cost paper-based strip tests for detection of mycotoxins in grains
AWC contribution: $16,871
Start date: December 15, 2020
End date: October 31, 2023
Dr. Maria DeRosa, Carleton University
Summary:
Mycotoxins are unavoidable natural fungal toxins that contaminate grains and other important crops in Canada and worldwide. The FAO estimates that mycotoxins cost Canada and the US $5B a year.
- This stems from crop losses or downgrading, reduced animal performance and the expense of mycotoxin analysis. While testing crops and food to ensure low levels of mycotoxins is important to ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and to permit trade, it is nevertheless a difficult and expensive undertaking. Shipments need to be analyzed for mycotoxins before leaving the farm and again at elevators before shipment to processors. Existing testing for mycotoxins (e.g. ELISA or LC-MS) are expensive and can take several days.
- The need for rapid tests for mycotoxins has been widely recognized. For example, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission have recently supported researchers at the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre to develop a mass spectrometry-based testing method to identify and quantify mycotoxins in less than two minutes.
- While very promising, the cost of a mass spectrometer and the need for specialized training would make this approach inaccessible for use at the farm or grain elevator. Producers require a fast, reliable testing technology that is simple and inexpensive enough to be used on-site without special expertise.