Advanced and Relevant Methods for the Determination of Mycotoxins in Food and Feed

Mycotoxins are primarily low molecular weight, polar organic compounds that are soluble in a variety of organic solvents and are generated by fungal secondary metabolism. Mycotoxins have a significant impact on both animal and human health. The purpose of this article is to highlight the use of different chromatographic separation techniques in the determination of mycotoxins in food and feed. The significant implications for human and animal health of the ingestion of these mycotoxins and the ensuing legislative requirements in many countries necessitated the development of analytical methods. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has become the predominant separation technique in mycotoxin analysis, while thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography are still utilized. UV or fluorescence detectors have found widespread use in mycotoxin determination, even though HPLC has become the omnipresence method of choice. These systems either make use of the mycotoxin of interest's inherent UV absorption or fluorescence, or they derivatize it using techniques that have been developed to allow for suitably sensitive detection.