New handheld sensor spots three grain toxins at once
Crop Improvement
The corn, wheat, and animal feed grown near you can harbor invisible mold toxins that this pocket-sized sensor catches in real time, long before contaminated grain ever reaches a silo or a store shelf.
Certain molds that grow on corn and grain crops produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins, which can sicken people and livestock if they end up in food or feed. Researchers built a small chip covered in tiny sensor spots, each coated with a different antibody, that detects three of these toxins at the same time just by measuring tiny changes in mass. The device worked well enough to catch toxin levels far below the legal safety limits, and because it skips dyes or lights, it's cheaper and gives instant digital results.
Key Findings
A mass-sensitive microarray with 64 miniature sensor pixels (4x16) detected T2-toxin, zearalenone, and fumonisin B1 simultaneously using a label-free, mass-based method.
Single-toxin sensitivity (IC50) using the portable microfluidic device was 1.32 ng/ml for T2, 2.00 ng/ml for fumonisin B1, and 6.84 ng/ml for zearalenone; multiplex sensitivity was 6.09, 3.57, and 2.41 ng/ml respectively.
All detection thresholds fell well below EU maximum legal limits for these mycotoxins in food and feed, confirming the sensor's suitability for real-world screening.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists built a small sensor chip that can detect three toxic mold byproducts in grain and animal feed at once, using mass rather than color or light, making it a fast, cheap, portable way to catch contaminated food before it reaches store shelves.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Development of a multiplex biosensor for the detection of mycotoxins
Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species including trichothecenes, zearalenone and fumonisins, co-contaminate food and feed throughout the supply chain, including maize, cereal grains and animal fee...
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