Immunochemical detection of molds: A review

Molds are widely distributed in nature and cause deterioration of foods and feeds. Their mycotoxins can adversely affect human and animal health. Suit able assays for molds, therefore, are required to implement control and reg ulatory strategies and to develop appropriate feeding regimens for mold-inf ested feeds. Many different types of mold assays have been used, most of wh ich are not reproducible or accurate. However the immunoassays, particularl y enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), can be especially useful. Am ong these, assays that detect the water-soluble extracellular secretions of fungi, the exoantigens, are generally able to detect fungi at the genus or species level, whereas the heat-stable polysaccharides tend to be specific for one or more genus of fungi. Several species and genus (genera)-specifi c ELISAs have been developed using monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies agai nst exoantigens and heat-stable polysaccharides from a wide range of fungi, including Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium species. Other assays hav e been developed that nonspecifically detect mold in food or feed, some usi ng antibodies against a mixture of antigens from different fungi. These ass ays are highly sensitive, are easy to perform, and provide an index of the amount of mold present in the sample. Further refinement of these assays sh ould facilitate their widespread use by food and feed processors, regulator y agencies, taxonomists, and research scientists.