What’s a smart way to detect toxicity in food products?

There are certain molds that can cause genetic mutations and cancer. Two types of these, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, produce aflatoxins—carcinogens and mutagens that grow in soil, causing the decay of vegetation, hay, and grains.

A group of researchers from the iNANO research facility of the DLSU Laguna Campus led by Vice Chancellor Dr. Gil Nonato Santos recently studied these aflatoxin-producing fungi, which are prevalent in the Philippines due to the country’s often hot and humid climatic conditions.

Citing reports from the WHO Conference on Food Safety in the Asia Pacific, Santos notes that aflatoxin contamination in agricultural crops, foods, and feed commodities is a serious problem in the country. Its transmission can also be through animals, which are fed with contaminated food products, thus resulting in aflatoxin-contaminated eggs, milk products, and meat.

An individual who has eaten aflatoxin-contaminated foods may suffer from poisoning, symptoms of which include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, and convulsions in severe cases.

According to Santos, while aflatoxins are stable in many foods, common cooking methods like boiling, pressure cooking, and pasteurization will not eliminate aflatoxins completely. For him, the most effective way to manage or control contamination is going to its source.

With the main goal of developing a tool that could boost the country’s food safety as well as the agricultural and animal food industry, Santos led his research team to create a rapid, simple, and portable detection gadget. In particular, they started the fabrication of a prototype gas sensor, using Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Tin (IV) Oxide (SnO2) nanomaterials to detect aflatoxins among corn feed samples.

Santos points out that their research seeks to reach both the large-scale users, or the consumers in the market, and the low-scale consumers, specifically research agencies or industries that handle the distribution of agricultural products, such as the Bureau of Animal Industry.

With their prototype gas sensing device for the detection of aflatoxin among agricultural feeds, the DLSU team is currently tapping the support of electronic industry experts to help in the design modifications. Their ultimate goal is the full development of this biosensor that will be user-friendly, portable, and affordable for the market.

Contact: Dr. Gil Nonato Santos | [email protected]