ABSTRACT
Sampling continues to be the most important step within the whole analytical sequence, although a relatively limited amount of progress on the development of sampling plans was reported during the period under review.
However, a significant amount of recent work was reported on developments in sample extraction and sample clean-up procedures. These included ultrasonic and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction methods, and dispersive solid phase and multi-walled carbon nanotube clean-up procedures.
A very considerable body of work was generated during 2019, on new developments for the determination of mycotoxins, including liquid chromatographyy tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and novel immunochemical methods.
However, most interest appears to have centred around the development of a wide variety of sensors, which address the need for simpler, robust, affordable and portable analysis methods throughout the food and feed supply chains.
Interest has continued in the development of methods for the biomonitoring of human and animal exposure to mycotoxins.
Clearly, the continued introduction and employment of innovative techniques will lead to further significant advances in mycotoxin analysis, especially in the development of effective procedures for those with a limited supply of skills and resources.
