New biosensors for the determination of mycotoxins in the agroalimentary system

Héctor Fernández

: J Biosens Bioelectron 2011

Abstract :

Mycotoxins are organic compounds produced by fungi as secondary metabolites. Mycotoxins intake implies serious risks to human and animal health. Agricultural products, particularly a wide variety of grains, in the field as well as during storage, are the main source of mycotoxin production in the food chain. Usually, these compounds are found at trace levels, which make difficult their detection. Different quantification techniques have been used but actually the demand of rapid and economic techniques for mycotoxins determination in quality food control has increased notably. Electroanalycal methods arise as a valid alternative for this purpose, mainly those related to biosensors. The author´s research team has developed amperometric biosensors and immunoelectrodes for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CIT) mycotoxins (from Aspergillus and Penicillium genus). The development of an electrochemical immunosensor incorporated in a micro fluidic cell for quantification of CIT in rice samples is described for the first time. Cysteamine self-assembled monolayer modified gold electrodes were used to develop a quantitative technique for OTA in red wines by square wave voltammetry (SWV). The analytical signal is the result of the electro-oxidation of dissolved OTA that produces a layer of strongly adsorbed product. On the other hand, an electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of OTA in red wine samples by SWV was developed. The method is based on protein G functionalized magnetic beads as solid phase for affinity reaction between OTA and monoclonal antibodies against OTA and carbon screen printed-electrode system which act as the electrochemical transduction element.

Biography :

Professor Héctor Fernández has received his PhD in the Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC), Argentina (1974?1978) and was a postdoctoral research associate with Robert Osteryoung at the University of New York at Buffalo, USA. Currently, he is working as a Full Professor at the UNRC. He was Dean of the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas (UNRC, 1992-1999). He has authored more than fifty research articles and book chapters and has been the editor of a book. He is a member of the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET, Argentina) as a Principal Researcher. He is a AAQA, AAIFQ and SIBAE fellow and he has been honoured as President of Asociación Argentina de Químicos Analíticos (AAQA, 2007- 2009) and representative of AAQA in the Red Iberoamericana de Química Analítica (RIQA, 2010-?).