MykoNANO

Magnetic nanoprobe-based mycotoxin detection in agricultural products

Food processing companies in Germany must ensure that no fungal toxins (mycotoxins) get into their products. In the MykoNANO project, a rapid test based on a competitive magnetic immunoassay will be developed. The aim is to reliably test food samples for different mycotoxins within a few minutes. For this purpose, magnetic nanoprobes specifically functionalized with antibodies are added to the sample. These magnetic markers bind to the mycotoxin molecules and can be detected with a portable magnetic reader based on magnetic frequency mixing. The measurement results are displayed and documented by means of a smartphone app.

Block diagram of MykoNANO project (click to zoom) >>>

Principal Investigator: Robert Matyjaszczyk (GeneCon International GmbH)
Partner: Peter Grünberg Institut für Bioelectronics, FZ- Jülich, Fraunhofer Institut IME, Aachen
Associated partner: Milchprüfring Bayern

Coordinator: Andrea Wambach (GeneCon International GmbH, Baesweiler)
Project start: 01.12.2018
Project end: 30.11.2021
Status: active

Funding Organization: European Union and State of North Rhine Westphalia
(www.efre.nrw.de)