Aflatoxin and Mycotoxin Analysis: An Overview Including Options for Resource-limited Settings

Abstract

Aflatoxins are fungal toxins of serious human health concern, more so in some developing countries where significant contamination of staple foods occurs and the prevalence of aflatoxin-related health effects is high. A plethora of techniques for food mycotoxin testing has been developed. Modern chromatographic techniques allow quantitative determination with high accuracy and sensitivity, but are expensive and difficult to operate and maintain. Rapid tests provide a cheaper alternative for screening large numbers of samples, although they need validation on all food matrices that are tested. One important aspect of tackling aflatoxin contamination and exposure is to ensure the availability of suitable methods for detection and quantification that are rapid, sensitive, accurate, robust, and cost-effective for food surveillance in resource-limited settings.