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<OL> <LI> Develop methods for detection and quantitation of mycotoxins in unfinished grains, finished food products, and animal tissues. <LI>Determine the fate of mycotoxins during processing detoxification. <LI>Determine the identity of mycotoxins in samples from outbreaks of mycotoxicoses using combinations of chemical and immunochemical analyses and bioassays and develop strategies that minimize their presence in the food supply. <LI>Prepare mycotoxins as reference materials to provide as standards.
Immunologically based methods including enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and biosensors using monoclonal antibodies will be developed and applied specifically to deoxynivalenol, fumonisins,aflatoxins and other mycotoxins of emerging importance. Improved chemical methods including capillary electrophoresis (CE), HPLC, and GC, and hybrid technologies that combine CE with immunoassy will be applied to selected mycotoxins. Bioassays, biomarkers, and molecular modeling will be used in an integrated approach to aid in development of new immunogens for antibody production, to measure risk through understanding relationships between structure and toxin potency, and to determine the distribution of mycotoxins in fractions of raw commodities and processed foods. Processing of fusarium contaminated cereal grains will be investigated to determine the fate of mycotoxins in finished foods and develop strategies to eliminate or reduce their levels.