Abstract
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of fungi that spoil food, and severely impact human health (e.g., causing cancer). Therefore, the rapid determination of mycotoxin contamination including deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin B1 in food and feed samples is of prime interest for commodity importers and processors. While chromatography-based techniques are well established in laboratory environments, only very few (i.e., mostly immunochemical) techniques exist enabling direct on-site analysis for traders and manufacturers. In this study, we present MYCOSPEC - an innovative approach for spectroscopic mycotoxin contamination analysis at EU regulatory limits for the first time utilizing mid-infrared tunable quantum cascade laser (QCL) spectroscopy. This analysis technique facilitates on-site mycotoxin analysis by combining QCL technology with GaAs/AlGaAs thin-film waveguides. Multivariate data mining strategies (i.e., principal component analysis) enabled the classification of deoxynivalenol-contaminated maize and wheat samples, and of aflatoxin B1 affected peanuts at EU regulatory limits of 1250 μg kg−1 and 8 μg kg−1, respectively.
Highlights
Emerging analytical measurement strategies have demonstrated the utility of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in combination with thin-film waveguides as a promising alternative to commonly used Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques[22,23,24]
An evanescent field extending from the surface of appropriate high-refractive index waveguide materials into the adjacent sample appears continuous and intense along the entire waveguide structure, as an increased fraction of the propagating mode is forced towards the waveguide-sample interface as compared to conventional macroscopic infrared attenuated total reflection (IR-ATR) waveguides and crystals[26,27]
We demonstrate an innovative approach for direct spectroscopic mycotoxin contamination analysis at EU regulatory limits for the first time utilizing QCL-based spectroscopy in combination with GaAs/ AlGaAs thin-film waveguides
Summary
Emerging analytical measurement strategies have demonstrated the utility of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in combination with thin-film waveguides as a promising alternative to commonly used Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques[22,23,24]. An extraction and measurement procedure for maize, wheat, and peanuts was developed providing pronounced spectral features within the tuning range of a single QCL laser light source yielding information on alterations of the sample matrix caused by fungal infection, which in turn enables inferring actual mycotoxin contamination. This strategy enabled the classification of contaminated and uncontaminated samples for different commodities at EU regulatory limits
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