New optical biosensor platforms for the analysis of mycotoxins in foodstuffs

Abstract

Mycotoxins are a serious food safety and public health issue due to their increasing incidence worldwide. They are toxic compounds for both animals and humans and cause diseases known as mycotoxicosis, with effects ranging from acute to chronic pathologies. Some mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), HT-2 andT-2 toxins, fumonisins (FBs), or deoxynivalenol (DON), have a higher prevalence and awell-known capacity to produce toxic effects. Consequently, regulations have been established setting maximum levels in different foodstuffs and official analytical methods for their control. However, there is another extensive group of mycotoxins, known as emerging mycotoxins, such as alternariol (AOH) or cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), which are not determined in routine analyses established for food monitoring and control, as they are not regulated. Nonetheless, there is much evidence that they are contaminants whose incidence is rapidly increasing globally...Las micotoxinas son un grave problema en materia de seguridad alimentaria y salud pública debido a su creciente incidencia a nivel mundial. Son compuestos tóxicos tanto para animales como para humanos y producen enfermedades denominadas micotoxicosis, con efectos desde dolencias agudas hasta patologías crónicas. Algunas micotoxinas, como aflatoxinas (AFs), ocratoxina A (OTA), toxinas HT-2 y T2, fumonisinas (FBs) o deoxinivalenol (DON), tienen una mayor prevalencia y capacidad de producir efectos tóxicos bien conocidos. En consecuencia, existen leyes y reglamentos para el control de su presencia, que además establecen niveles máximos permitidos, y métodos oficiales de análisis para su control. Sin embargo, existe otro grupo extenso de micotoxinas, denominadas emergentes, como alternariol (AOH) o ácido ciclopiazónico (CPA), que no se determinan en los análisis de rutina establecidos para la vigilancia y control alimentario al no estar legisladas, aunque hay muchas evidencias de que son contaminantes cuya incidencia aumenta de forma muy rápida a escala global...