背景:对食品和饲料产品的不断增长的需求正在将食品价值链的能力延伸到极限。确保食品安全的关键步骤是检查小麦的霉菌毒素污染。然而,这种分析通常是通过相当复杂和昂贵的色谱方法进行的,如液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)。这些昂贵的方法需要大量的样品制备,这在食品供应链的不同点不容易进行。为了克服样品处理中的这些挑战,需要一种廉价的便携式样品制备装置,这需要低技能,用于快速样品到结果的霉菌毒素筛选。
结果:我们描述了3D打印和可互连的模块,用于简单,集成和现场样品制备,包括小麦籽粒的研磨,和溶剂提取。我们对这些用于霉菌毒素筛选的3D打印模块进行了表征,并使用商业侧流装置(LFD)和内部验证的LC-MS/MS分析对实验室工厂进行了基准测试。基于研磨效率比较了不同的集成筛配置,我们选择了2毫米的筛子,允许在5分钟内研磨10克小麦。此外,第一次用户能够以最少的指令操作研磨机模块。使用开发的3D打印原型证明了在监管/法定限值(1.25mgkg-1)下筛选天然污染样品中的脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇(DON)。整个过程只需要15分钟,从样品制备到筛选结果。结果显示LFD和LC-MS/MS之间有明显的相关性(R2=0.96)。
结论:我们的研究结果证明了3D打印样品处理设备作为现有分析程序的宝贵扩展的潜力。便于现场实施快速测定谷物中霉菌毒素的方法。提出的原型价格低廉,材料成本为2.5€,依赖于可生物降解的3D打印丝,可以用消费级打印机生产,使原型随时可用。作为未来的视角,我们开发的工具包的模块化特征将允许适应其他硬质食品商品,而不是确定小麦中的DON。
BACKGROUND: The increasing demand for food and feed products is stretching the capacity of the food value chain to its limits. A key step for ensuring food safety is checking for mycotoxin contamination of wheat. However, this analysis is typically performed by rather complex and expensive chromatographic methods, such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). These costly methods require extensive sample preparation that is not easily carried out at different points along the food supply chain. To overcome such challenges in sample processing, an inexpensive and portable sample preparation device was needed, that required low skill, for rapid sample-to-result mycotoxin screening.
RESULTS: We describe 3D-printed and interconnectable modules for simple, integrated and on-site sample preparation, including grinding of wheat kernels, and solvent-based extraction. We characterized these 3D-printed modules for mycotoxin screening and benchmarked them against a laboratory mill using commercial lateral flow device(s) (LFD) and in-house validated LC-MS/MS analysis. Different integrated sieve configurations were compared based on grinding efficiency, and we selected a sieve size of 2 mm allowing grinding of 10 g of wheat within 5 min. Moreover, 10 first time-users were able to operate the grinder module with minimal instructions. Screening for deoxynivalenol (DON) in naturally contaminated samples at the regulatory/legal limit (1.25 mg kg-1) was demonstrated using the developed 3D-printed prototype. The whole process only takes 15 min, from sample preparation to screening result. The results showed a clear correlation (R2 = 0.96) between the LFD and LC-MS/MS.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the potential of 3D-printed sample handling equipment as a valuable extension of existing analytical procedures, facilitating the on-site implementation of rapid methods for the determination of mycotoxins in grains. The presented prototype is inexpensive with material costs of 2.5€, relies on biodegradable 3D printing filament and can be produced with consumer-grade printers, making the prototype readily available. As a future perspective, the modular character of our developed tool kit will allow for adaptation to other hard food commodities beyond the determination of DON in wheat.