Performance Story: Scale up and validation of a low-cost paper-based test for mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by mold that can sometimes be found in crops or food. Mycotoxins can develop pre-harvest, during harvest, or while in storage, and can be difficult and expensive to detect. Maria DeRosa, a professor at Carleton University, led a research project to develop a rapid, low-cost test for mycotoxins that could be used at the farm or grain elevator with minimal training or resources. Her first prototype is a strip test for Ochratoxin A (OTA) and this grant examined the scale-up and validation of this method with naturally contaminated grain samples. The strip works in a way that is similar to a pregnancy test: a change in a coloured spot on the strip lets the user know if the sample is positive for OTA. The project was successful at scaling up the production of these strips and tests with real-world samples were very promising. The work for this project has laid the foundation for future experiments where these strips can be tested outside of a controlled lab environment to confirm their usability for farmers or others in the supply chain.