Determination of Mycotoxins in Food with the Aid of Chemometric Tools

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of current chemometric tools utilized for the evaluation of several mycotoxins often found in foodstuff, such as cereals, peanuts, pistachio nuts and condiments. Mycotoxins are compounds produced as a result of the secondary metabolism of fungus, such as Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. Because of their harmful effect in animals and humans, their levels in food are strictly controlled.Discussions are focused on the analysis of first and second-order data generated through several techniques such as near infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. This review manuscript describes the algorithms frequently used to model this type of data, including Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression, Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) and Multivariate Curve Resolution Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS). These multivariate calibration methods allow the quantification of multiple analytes in complex food samples with the application of minimum pre-treatment techniques. Another important chemometric tool commented in this review is the Response Surface Method (RSM), commonly applied in the optimization of experimental procedures and chemical measurements.This chapter discusses the different strategies implemented for the analysis of a wide spectrum of mycotoxins, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.