Mycotoxins are the secondary metabolites of molds and have adverse effects on humans, animals, and crops, resulting in illnesses and economic losses. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a hepatocarcinogen found in the milk from animals that have consumed feeds contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Milk is a highly nutritious food and is a source of necessary macro- and micro-nutrients for the growth, devel...

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatography (LC) method for ochratoxin A using sequential phenyl silane and immunoaffinity column cleanup. The method was tested at 3 different levels of ochratoxin A in roasted coffee, which spanned the range of possible future European regulatory limits. The test portion was extracted with methanol and sodium bicarbonate by shaking f...

A naïve (unimmunized) human semisynthetic phage display library was employed to isolate recombinant antibody fragments against the cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin-LR. Selected antibody scFv genes were cloned into a soluble expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli for characterization against purified microcystin-LR by competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ...

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column cleanup liquid chromatography (LC) method for determination of aflatoxin B1 in cattle feed at a possible future European regulatory limit (1 ng/g). The test portion was extracted with acetone-water (85 + 15), filtered, diluted with water, and applied to an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed w...

AOAC Official Method 991.31 for the determination of aflatoxins (AFs; sum of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2) in corn, raw peanuts, and peanut butter by using immunoaffinity column cleanup with LC has been modified and applied to the determination of AFs in botanical roots. The modifications were necessary to improve the performance of the method for matrixes beyond corn and peanuts. The extracti...