Low-cost paper-based strip tests for detection of mycotoxins in grains
Term: 3 years, beginning in 2021
Status: Ongoing
Funding Amount: $22,494
Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Maria DeRosa, Carleton University
Funding Partners: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture -Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), and Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF)
Project Description
This project builds on the preliminary success on developing paper-based strip testing for Ochratoxin A, funded by Sask Wheat and other industry funders.
The goals of this project are: 1) to optimize and scale up of test kits for Ochratoxin A that has been developed in the previous study; 2) to develop a simple, inexpensive, strip-based test for other mycotoxins like Fumonisin B1, Aflatoxin B1, and Deoxynivalenol (DON) alone and in combination and 3) to undertake a preliminary validation for their use outside the lab. This research will attempt to test these strips outside of the lab environment (farm, grain elevator) in a larger trial.
Existing testing for mycotoxins (e.g., ELISA or LC-MS) are expensive and can take several days and the need for rapid tests for mycotoxins has been widely recognized. The team will expand their successful aptamer-based approach for the detection of DON, FB1, and AFB1 individually and in a multi mycotoxin strip format.