Advances on preparation methods for mycotoxins in food samples

Abstract

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites with low molecular weight that are produced by fungus under certain environmental conditions. Mycotoxins are of various types and show strong toxicity. They can enter the food chain directly or indirectly, causing diseases or even death to humans and other animals. It is very crucial to use efficient sample preparations to realize the separation and enrichment of targets before analysis due to diversified foods, complex matrix and low concentrations in real samples. In this paper, preparation methods using new separation media, such as liquid phase extraction, solid phase extraction, magnetic solid phase extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, immunoaffinity chromatography and QuEChERS are introduced. In addition, future trends in sample preparation for food mycotoxins are prospected.