It’s an innovation that will improve food safety and help prevent health risks. The Myco-ProAffinity Project, led by the CEB, is creating an innovative solution so that food reaches our tables more safely. How? By developing a technological platform that uses specific proteins to identify and remove mycotoxins, an invisible threat often present in food products, drinks and animal feed.
Because they exist in a wide variety of food products, these toxic substances produced by fungi can have serious consequences for human and animal health. With the technology being developed by the Centre’s team of researchers, it will be possible to extract and detect these toxins more effectively, better characterizing the risks to consumers.
“Myco-ProAffinity’s innovation lies in the platform’s ability to capture both mycotoxins and their modified forms, which are often invisible to the methods that currently exist,” explains Luís Abrunhosa, the project’s coordinator. “What’s more, this technology can be reused several times, which represents a significant advantage in terms of cost and efficiency.”
The creation of new and better methods for detecting and removing mycotoxins represents an important step for food safety. “If we identify potential risks, we can subsequently eliminate them from the food chain. If we analyze and understand the problem better, we can devise more appropriate mitigation strategies,” stresses Luís Abrunhosa.
So far, the main result of the research work is the development and validation of a method that uses a specific protein to determine ochratoxin A (OTA) in beer. Reuse tests have shown that it is possible to use the columns containing this protein up to four times, which could make it possible to obtain more information at less cost and, consequently, contribute to increasing knowledge in the area.
In addition to the potential to increase the quantity and quality of data on the presence of toxins in food, this approach opens the door to future applications in the identification of other contaminants which, until now, have received little attention. The project represents an opportunity for various sectors of the food industry to adopt safer and more efficient processes, reinforcing their commitment to public health.
The CEB, as the institution that hosts and supports Myco-ProAffinity, has contributed significantly to the progress of the research by providing a wide range of human resources and support materials, including advanced scientific equipment, which has helped in the implementation of the project.
More info: https://www.ceb.uminho.pt/fit/Projects/Details/6254