Rapid quantification of aflatoxin in food at the point of need: A monitoring tool for food systems dashboards

Aflatoxins (AFs) are naturally occurring mycotoxins known to cause a considerable threat to food safety and affect animal and health. Rapid and reliable analytical methods are crucial for preventing AF contamination in the global food supply chain. Many conventional AF detection methods involve complex sample preparation steps, lengthy analysis times, and multiple handling stages which lead to delays in obtaining results, in addition to being unaffordable in many settings with resource constraints. Herein, we demonstrate the proof of concept of a competitive immunochromatographic (IC) strip test for quantification of total AF using commercially available antibodies and a low-cost portable CubeTM analyzer. We conducted preliminary testing of our point-of-need (PON) AF detection method with corn samples and results indicated a good agreement when compared with gold standard HPLC method. Furthermore, a detection range of 5–50 ppb with detection time of 5 min, makes this technology suitable for rapid testing and meets the regulatory requirements for AF detection in food samples. We also demonstrate the real-time data sharing capabilities of the reader to a proof-of-concept centralized and cloud-based AF databank, that we developed to provide timely monitoring for different parts of food systems. It is critical for the test data to be easily accessible within a food systems dashboard to enable early warning, data-driven decision-making, rapid interventions, and improve overall coordination between various stakeholders within the food system.