ii Declaration iv Acknowledgements v Publications vii Presentations viii List of abbreviations ix List of figures xiii List of tables xvi

A sensitive, monoclonal antibody-based ELISA test was developed and used for quantitative determination of ochratoxin A (OA) in human sera. The measuring range of this test (without sample dilution) was 0.2-2.0 ng/mL, and the detection limit was 0.2 ng/mL. The OA concentrations of 355 sera samples varied from < 0.2 to 10 ng/mL OA, but 75% of the samples contained 0.2-1.0 ng/mL. This amount refl...

We developed a simple and cheap assay for quantitatively detecting ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine. A DNA aptamer available in literature was used as recognition probe in its molecular beacon form, i.e., with a fluorescence-quenching pair at the stem ends. Our aptabeacon could adopt a conformation allowing OTA binding, causing a fluorescence rise due to the increased distance between fluorophore and...

The safety of food and feed depends to a great deal on quality control. Numerous compounds and organisms may contaminate food and feed commodities and thus pose a health risk for consumers. The compound of interest in this review is ochratoxin A (OTA), a secondary metabolite of the fungi Aspergillus and Penicillium. Due to its adverse health effects, detection and quantification are of utmost i...

Developing portable and low-cost methods for quantitative detection of large protein biomarkers and small molecular toxins can play a significant role in controlling and preventing diseases or toxins outbreaks. Despite years of research, most current methods still require laboratory-based or customized devices that are not widely available to the general public for quantitative analysis. We hav...

6 In this study, a total of 370 rice samples collected from six provinces in China were 7 surveyed for the presence of aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA) using 8 dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography with 9 fluorescence detection. The results obtained in this survey showed that 63.5% 10 (235/370) and 4.9% (18/370) of rice samples contained detectable amo...

This review presents a global view of the current situation of the scientific knowledge about aspects of wine with possible repercussions (positive or negative) on consumer health and wine safety. The presence in wine of some potential harmful compounds such as phytosanitary products, trace metal compounds, sulfites, and some toxics of microbial origin, such as ochratoxin A, ethyl carbamate, an...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a common mycotoxin that contaminates food and agricultural products. Sequencing of the complete genome of Aspergillus westerdijkiae, a major producer of OTA, reveals more than 50 biosynthetic gene clusters, including a putative OTA biosynthetic gene cluster that encodes a dozen of enzymes, transporters, and regulatory proteins.

A label-free, direct and noncompetitive homogeneous immunoassay, in which ochratoxin A (OTA) coupled with the anti-OTA antibody participates in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), was developed for the detection of OTA with great specificity and a detection limit of 1 ng mL(-1).

The most plausible theory of the aetiology of endemic nephropathy links it with exposure to nephrotoxic mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA). In this study, the concentration of OTA and sphinganine/sphingosine (Sa/So) ratio, the biomarker of another nephrotoxic mycotoxin fumonisin B1 exposure, were analysed in 45 human urine samples collected in the endemic village of Kaniza in Croatia and in 18 sample...