A new device to detect quickly and friendly mycotoxins in feed, food and beverage. Kick off project meeting
23 August 2013
Italy
The deterioration of food commodities by biotic factors is a serious and widespread problem.
In particular, the contamination of different food and feed commodities by ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by several widespread fungi represents a serious health risk due to the high toxicity of OTA.
Research for the benefit of SMEs ( 7th framework program) has been performed by the University of Rome (Italy) and the Research Institute INESC-MN ( Portugal) in the OTASENS Project funded by the EC. In the OTASENS project, the RTD Performers have developed a novel system able to perform detection and quantification of OTA in wine, beer and feed, through a linear array of a-Si:H photosensors deposited on a glass substrate. The photosensors has been integrated in a compact, portable equipment.
The results of the OTASENS project and activity performed after the end of the Project, suggest that the developed prototypes can also be applied to further mycotoxins such as “Aflatoxins”, DON (deoxynivalenol) and Patulin. These mycotoxins are dangerous for animal and humans health and thus strict limits have been set for their tolerance in food; in particular, aflatoxins are carcinogenic, mutagenic and citotoxic; OTA is nephrotoxic and immunosuppressive; DON causes gastro-intestinal, marrow and lymphoid tissues necrosis; Patulin is irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and immunosuppressive. A few ppb are enough to induce these damages.
Two SMEs, partners in OTASENS, AUTOMATION srl (Italy) and LUMISENSE Ltd (Portugal), will transfer the outcomes of the OTASENS Project into industrial products through a DEMONSTRATION Program funded by the EC (the DEMOTOX Project).
The main objective of the DEMOTOX Project is to prepare a pre-series of devices on the basis of the prototypes obtained in the previous project. The scope of DEMOTOX is to verify if the prototypes developed in the OTASENS Project can be produced as commercial devices and can be introduced into the market. For this purpose, a small team of SMEs, together with the Research Centres above named, will prepare about 20 demonstrators to distribute to end users operating in different sectors, which will be identified through a specific market research.
The results obtained with this system appear interesting in the laboratory where they have been compared with those obtained by using costly traditional analytical methods. The main characteristics of these new devices are their low cost, capability to perform rapid and reliable analyses in canteen, or in brewery as well as in farm and satisfy the requirements of SMEs for an effective food quality control: these organizations will be able to perform easily, quickly and at low cost, a number of analysis in feed, wine, beer, wheat, food ( for instance, milk) and identify possible contamination with mycotoxins.
A procedure has been designed that allows for scaling up from experimental scale (pre-series production, pilot plant) to production at the commercial level. In order to effectively manage a complex project that must be carried out in a relatively short timeframe, a Consortium of 6 partners has been constituted and has been organized in a structure to execute and monitor technology and product development, decision making, risk mitigation, conflict resolution and reporting in an efficient way. The required tests will be carried out not only by the partners of Consortium, but also other users, external to the Consortium, identified during the market analysis. The kick off meeting of the DEMOTOX project will be held in Abbiategrasso, Milan, Italy and is open to journalists and other stakeholders
The news are relevant to an audience of organizations that need to perform analysis of their products easily and quickly.
In particular, the contamination of different food and feed commodities by ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by several widespread fungi represents a serious health risk due to the high toxicity of OTA.
Research for the benefit of SMEs ( 7th framework program) has been performed by the University of Rome (Italy) and the Research Institute INESC-MN ( Portugal) in the OTASENS Project funded by the EC. In the OTASENS project, the RTD Performers have developed a novel system able to perform detection and quantification of OTA in wine, beer and feed, through a linear array of a-Si:H photosensors deposited on a glass substrate. The photosensors has been integrated in a compact, portable equipment.
The results of the OTASENS project and activity performed after the end of the Project, suggest that the developed prototypes can also be applied to further mycotoxins such as “Aflatoxins”, DON (deoxynivalenol) and Patulin. These mycotoxins are dangerous for animal and humans health and thus strict limits have been set for their tolerance in food; in particular, aflatoxins are carcinogenic, mutagenic and citotoxic; OTA is nephrotoxic and immunosuppressive; DON causes gastro-intestinal, marrow and lymphoid tissues necrosis; Patulin is irritating to the gastrointestinal tract and immunosuppressive. A few ppb are enough to induce these damages.
Two SMEs, partners in OTASENS, AUTOMATION srl (Italy) and LUMISENSE Ltd (Portugal), will transfer the outcomes of the OTASENS Project into industrial products through a DEMONSTRATION Program funded by the EC (the DEMOTOX Project).
The main objective of the DEMOTOX Project is to prepare a pre-series of devices on the basis of the prototypes obtained in the previous project. The scope of DEMOTOX is to verify if the prototypes developed in the OTASENS Project can be produced as commercial devices and can be introduced into the market. For this purpose, a small team of SMEs, together with the Research Centres above named, will prepare about 20 demonstrators to distribute to end users operating in different sectors, which will be identified through a specific market research.
The results obtained with this system appear interesting in the laboratory where they have been compared with those obtained by using costly traditional analytical methods. The main characteristics of these new devices are their low cost, capability to perform rapid and reliable analyses in canteen, or in brewery as well as in farm and satisfy the requirements of SMEs for an effective food quality control: these organizations will be able to perform easily, quickly and at low cost, a number of analysis in feed, wine, beer, wheat, food ( for instance, milk) and identify possible contamination with mycotoxins.
A procedure has been designed that allows for scaling up from experimental scale (pre-series production, pilot plant) to production at the commercial level. In order to effectively manage a complex project that must be carried out in a relatively short timeframe, a Consortium of 6 partners has been constituted and has been organized in a structure to execute and monitor technology and product development, decision making, risk mitigation, conflict resolution and reporting in an efficient way. The required tests will be carried out not only by the partners of Consortium, but also other users, external to the Consortium, identified during the market analysis. The kick off meeting of the DEMOTOX project will be held in Abbiategrasso, Milan, Italy and is open to journalists and other stakeholders
The news are relevant to an audience of organizations that need to perform analysis of their products easily and quickly.