Nanotechnology-Based Detection and Remediation of Mycotoxins for Food and Agriculture Applications

Abstract

AbstractMycotoxins are highly toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, which may contaminate a large variety of food and feed commodities. Among them, the aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, and ochratoxins are the most common contaminants posing a serious threat to human and animal health.Given that traditional mycotoxin detection methods have been shown to be laborious and time consuming, interest in developing reliable and rapid mycotoxin detection methods has increased during recent decades. Herein, we review emerging nanotechnology-based methods, including gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, and quantum dot-based sensors, which have been developed to reliably and efficiently detecting mycotoxins in food and feed commodities. We also summarize recent technologies used to remove mycotoxins via adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. As our review illustrates, the emerging use of nanotechnology offers a reliable and cost-effective means to prevent mycotoxin contamination in food and feed commodities, which could reduce health risks to consumers.KeywordsMycotoxinsFood contaminationNanotechnologyNanosensorsGold nanoparticlesQuantum dotsMagnetic nanoparticlesPhotocatalytic degradation