Rapidust® - A new proprietary way of sampling and testing grain lots for mycotoxins

By Mareike Reichel, Dr. Susanne Rathjen, Simone Staiger, Dr. Scarlett Biselli

For analysis of mycotoxins in grains, sampling is the most critical step in the whole analytical process especially for heterogeneously distributed storage mycotoxins. Common sampling procedures are either not representative or - if
representative - extremely labour and time-intensive. With Rapidust® Eurofins will be able to offer its customers an innovative high-throughput and representative dust sampling and screening technology for mycotoxins in grain lots. This proprietary procedure (DE 10 2010 037 425 B4) allows the acquisition of representative samples from large batches even during the handling process (e.g. unloading trucks). Based on the fact that the contamination of the overall sample and its dust particles can be correlated, the system provides reliable results that allow rapid decisions on the acceptance or rejection of the grain lot. It also provides improved process control by means of adjusted scalping, cleaning and flour extraction.

Basic principle

Mycotoxins accumulate on dust particles ubiquitously present in grain lots. Consequently, dusts are often highly contaminated with mycotoxins. Experts identified a dust fraction with a consistently enhanced mycotoxin concentration compared to the overall grain lot. Data models were set up to determine this factor for relevant mycotoxins in various grains to allow for the calculation of the mycotoxin contamination in the grains based on the contamination in the dust.

Eurofins developed a sampling device which collects the relevant particle size and makes dust samples directly available for rapid analyses and no homogenization step is required. The natural enhancement of the mycotoxin contamination in the dust facilitates on-site analyses of mycotoxins within a few minutes even for low legal limits.

So far suitability of the system has been proven for the determination of field toxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenon, fumonisines, T2- / HT-2 toxin). Storage toxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A) are currently under investigation with other toxins and food commodities to follow. At present, Eurofins is offering this novel technology to interested project partners. In case of further questions or an individual solution, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact: mareikereichel@eurofins.de