Infrared Biomimetic Mycotoxinsensor

Research project P 14122 Infrared Biomimetic Mycotoxin Sensor Boris MIZAIKOFF 06.03.2000 In general, mycotoxins can be defined as toxic secondary metabolites originating from certain mould species, which infect a wide variety of agricultural plant products including grains. Their high toxicity poses a serious hazard to the public health due to their occurrence in human foods. Due to the biological activity (cytotoxicity and inhibition of protein synthesis affecting the immune system) of deoxynivalenol (DON) and the oestrogenic effect of zearalenon (ZON), food contamination with these mycotoxins is currently addressed by food authorities (WHO, FAO) on an international level resulting in the introduction of threshold values in some countries. Similar efforts can be noticed within the European Union. Subsequently, with the introduction of such concentration limitations for mycotoxins the demand for direct and possibly on-line screening methods at low cost for the fast and reliable determination of DON, ZON and similar contaminants in beverages, especially beer, is of urgent international relevance.The novel approach presented in this project aims at the development of the first optical IR biomimetic sensor capable of the direct determination of mycotoxins in beverages and particular in beer in the low ppb (g/l) region without prior sample preparation. By covering the surface of an IR-transducer with an appropriate artificial biorecognition layer for the respective mycotoxin the selective and distinct detection directly in the liquid sample will be enabled. The main project goals are (WP 1) the development of novel planar IR waveguides made from tellurium halides or silver halides, with a thickness < 100 m for enhanced evanescent field efficiency and improved coating techniques, (WP 2) the introduction of the first artificial biosensing interface ("plastibodies") for the selective recognition of mycotoxins using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) acting as synthetic antibodies and (WP 3) the first characterization of MIP layers using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and the establishment of this method as routine quality control system for artificial and conventional biosensing interface development and optimization. Since the topic of this project is of considerable economic interest and particular present relevance, leading international groups have agreed to cooperate and complement our own expertise in the field of chemical IR sensors.