Aflatoxin “from farm to fork” – monitoring the occurrence of aflatoxins throughout the complete production chain

Project aim: Development of a method for measuring aflatoxin M1 based on microcantilever deformation. A specially treated microcantilever with a selectively sensitive polymer layer that deforms if aflatoxin M1 is present in the sample (milk) will be designed, simulated, and fabricated. The magnitude of this deformation depends on the concentration of aflatoxins and is read using measuring tapes integrated into the microbeam.

 

About the project: To ensure food safety, it is necessary to consider all aspects of the food chain that starts from primary production, including the production of animal feed and the sale or supply of food to consumers, as each of these elements can affect safety.
Climate change can lead to favorable conditions for the growth and development of certain filamentous fungi (atypical for our climate) that can produce mycotoxins, and whose effect results in the creation of unsafe agricultural products. In recent years, with the appearance of specific or extreme conditions, huge importance belongs to saprophytic – facultative pathogens from the group of Aspergillus species. The mere presence of fungi of the genus Aspergillus does not have to be a problem, but in special conditions of high temperatures, these fungi synthesize aflatoxins. The use of such infected maize and maize silage in animal nutrition on dairy farms or in the production of animal feed results in the appearance of aflatoxins and other mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and fumonisin) in raw milk used in human nutrition and/or milk. industry. Given that the industrial production of animal feed is based on the basic principles of good manufacturing practice and the principles of the HACCP system, quality control and safety of raw materials and products in internal and accredited external laboratories is the responsibility of every producer. However, individual agricultural producers who have their own primary production of cereals and other crops, but also their own farm for animal husbandry, are not subject to the legal obligation to control their raw materials used in animal nutrition in authorized laboratories. For this reason, the question of the safety of such products that end up in the food chain is raised, and monitoring on farms of this type is extremely important. The results obtained within this project would contribute to understanding the safety situation of products that are produced on small farms but end up in the food chain according to the “from field to fork” system. Also, based on the results obtained during the project, recommendations would be made for producers on how to avoid the problems caused by the appearance of mycotoxins in primary production, market their products, and become competitive not only in our but also in the European market.

 

Detection of mycotoxins/aflatoxins today is based on sampling and chemical analysis, which is a long and expensive process, which does not give a high spatial resolution. Development and application of modern information and communication technologies open new possibilities for remote detection of aflatoxins/mycotoxins.

 

Scientific research aimed at monitoring the occurrence of aflatoxins is already underway at the University of Novi Sad. The main goal of this multidisciplinary project is to co-finance ongoing research and contribute to better networking and cooperation of several scientific research groups recognized for their activities in this field, and to help their future participation in the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program. innovation in Europe.