Question

Which of the following is a common method used to detect mycotoxins in cereal grains?

• A. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
• B. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
• C. Mass Spectrometry (MS)
• D. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Hint:

For rapid, high-throughput screening of mycotoxins (like aflatoxin or ochratoxin), immunoassays like ELISA or lateral flow devices are preferred.
For regulatory confirmation and complex matrices, HPLC-MS/MS is the gold standard.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi (such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium) that contamite agricultural crops.
To ensure food safety, rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective screening methods are essential for routine detection in grains.

Step 2: Detailed Explation:
Various alytical tools are available to monitor mycotoxins.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a widely used immunological method for routine screening.
It utilizes highly specific antibody-antigen interactions to detect and quantify target mycotoxins.
ELISA kits are popular in the food industry because they are fast, simple, require minimal sample preparation, and can process multiple samples simultaneously.
While chromatographic methods like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) paired with Mass Spectrometry (MS) provide higher accuracy and serve as confirmatory methods, ELISA remains the most common first-line screening tool in high-throughput testing laboratories.

Step 3: Fil Answer:
The correct option is (D).