Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi and mold that pose a significant health risk to both humans and animals. They have been shown to be genotoxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and particularly harmful to the liver and kidneys [1]. These toxins affect 60-80% of the annually produced crops worldwide [2]. These toxins and their derivatives contaminate a wide variety of staple foods, including almonds, rice, bread, corn, apples, and oats—making their impact both widespread and difficult to avoid. Common types of mycotoxins include aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisins, patulin, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and zearalenone [3]. Despite preventative measures, the detection and control of mycotoxin contamination remains inconsistent across regions, as many factors such as access to transportation, storage facilities, and harvesting and postharvesting practices [4, 5] lead to small farmers in resource-constrained communities bearing the largest burden. As of now, no universally optimized method exists for their degradation or removal, which presents a major challenge for food safety on a global scale.
The United States allows higher concentrations of mycotoxins in food products compared to other countries [6], such as the EU [7]. As a result, agricultural goods that fail to meet the stricter aflatoxin limits of other nations are often not eligible for export, but can still be legally sold and consumed within the United States. Excessively contaminated products are often redirected for use as livestock feed, where mycotoxin limits are higher [8]. This practice poses a significant risk: when animals consume contaminated feed, the toxins metabolize into other harmful derivatives, which accumulate in meat, milk, and other animal products [1] intended for human consumption.
This issue is only expected to worsen, as rising global temperatures create more favorable conditions for fungal growth—leading to increased mycotoxin prevalence in crops worldwide [10].
This project introduces a novel detoxification system designed to address contamination in aqueous food products, focusing on aflatoxins B1 and M1. AFB1 is a mycotoxin contaminant commonly found in grains and animal feed, and its metabolites present a danger to humans and animals alike. Our system is engineered to ensure accessibility and scalability for diverse agricultural communities and industries.
We propose a plasmid stock solution that can form self-contained aptamers that will capture mycotoxins under the presence of lactose.Once bound, the toxins can be physically removed from solution through any number of common compostable household filtration devices, such as a coffee filter or 100% cotton fabric. This would assist in the separation of the toxin from the consumable product. Once the filter is used, it could be composted without introducing environmental harm due to the short half-life of mycotoxins in soil [1]. Our approach to mycotoxin contamination aims to provide a comprehensive method to mitigate the presence of mycotoxins in agricultural products and byproducts, with the goal of equipping a wide range of people to be able to provide and consume safer products.