ARS | Publication request: Materials for Binding and Retaining Low Molecular Weight Toxins

Submitted to: Association Official Analytical Chemists Annual Intrl Meeting & Exposition
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: September 23, 2004
Publication Date: September 23, 2004
Citation: Maragos, C.M. 2004. Materials for binding and retaining low molecular weight toxins. Association Official Analytical Chemists Annual International Meeting and Exposition.

Technical Abstract: Materials that are able to bind low molecular weight toxins, such as mycotoxins, find numerous uses. The interaction between toxin and solid phase has been used to have an advantage in isolating toxins from foods, in protecting domestic animals from toxin exposure, and in components of test kits for toxin detection. Examples of such materials are plentiful and range from readily available and inexpensive natural materials, such as clays and silica, to natural biological materials such as antibodies, and man-made materials such as molecularly imprinted polymers. The usefulness of toxin binding materials is broad, with the different applications dictating the types of interaction desired between the material and the toxin. The mechanisms by which toxins interact with such materials are the basis of upon how much of the analytical technology of toxin isolation and detection is predicted. Advances in the making of such materials have presaged the development of improved mycotoxin assays, and the continued development of improved materials will prove relevant to future detection strategies for mycotoxins in foods.