Development of an integrated microfluidic mycotoxin screening chip for point-of-need food safety applications

Rúben Rafael Gonçalves Soares

Key information

Authors:

Rúben Rafael Gonçalves Soares (Rúben Rafael Gonçalves Soares)

Supervisors:

João Pedro Estrela Rodrigues Conde (João Pedro Estrela Rodrigues Conde); Maria Raquel Múrias dos Santos Aires Barros (Maria Raquel Murias dos Santos Aires Barros)

Published in

10/15/2018

Abstract

The assurance of food and feed safety, including the identification and effective screening of multiple biological and chemical hazards, is a societal priority and a major challenge, given the increasing pace at which food commodities are demanded, produced and traded across the globe. Mycotoxins in particular are globally widespread secondary fungal metabolites, which can contaminate crops either in the field or during storage and transport. These contaminants are associated with serious human and animal health impacts such as carcinogenic, teratogenic and hepatotoxic effects. Therefore, their presence in a wide range of foods and feeds has been subjected to increasingly strict regulations, particularly in the European Union. Such regulations motivate an increasing demand by regulatory agencies and food producers for a rapid, portable, simple, costeffective and fit-for-purpose device to detect mycotoxins.