Visible-near infrared spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in individual oat grains
Oat grains are increasingly consumed worldwide due to their health benefits, yet they are highly susceptible to contamination by Fusarium toxins, particularly T-2 and HT-2 toxins (T-2+HT-2). These toxins pose serious health risks and are unevenly distributed, with a few highly contaminated grains of...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat de Lleida (UdL) |
| Repositorio: | Repositori Obert UdL |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/468536 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111676 https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/468536 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Fusarium Oat: Es una planta herbácea anual, perteneciente a la familia de las poaceae. Las especies más cultivadas son Avena sativa y Avena byzantina, en ese orden. Es rica en proteínas de alto valor biológico, grasas y un gran número de vitaminas y minerales. Es el cereal con mayor proporción de grasa vegetal, un 54 % de grasas no saturadas y un 46 % de ácido linoleico. También contiene hidratos de carbono de fácil absorción, además de calcio, zinc, cobre, fósforo, hierro, magnesio, potasio, sodio Vitaminas B1, B2, B3, B6 y E. Además, contiene una buena cantidad de fibras, que no son nutrientes pero contribuyen al buen funcionamiento intestinal. La avena puede reducir los niveles de colesterol.3 Vis-NIRS (Visible and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) es una técnica espectroscópica que analiza la composición de materiales a través de la interacción de la luz en el rango visible e infrarrojo cercano (NIR). Esta técnica se utiliza ampliamente en diversas áreas como la agricultura, la medicina, y la industria alimentaria, proporcionando métodos rápidos y no destructivos para la caracterización de muestras. Toxinas T2/HT-2 Micotoxinas |
| Sumario: | Oat grains are increasingly consumed worldwide due to their health benefits, yet they are highly susceptible to contamination by Fusarium toxins, particularly T-2 and HT-2 toxins (T-2+HT-2). These toxins pose serious health risks and are unevenly distributed, with a few highly contaminated grains often driving a batch over legal safety limits. Current detection methods are destructive, slow, or inadequate for detecting contamination at the individual grain level. This study is the first to demonstrate the potential of visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) to detect T-2+HT-2 in individual oat grains nondestructively. 200 grains were scanned, and their toxin content quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Classification models were developed to identify grains exceeding both the European Union (EU) legal threshold (1250 μg/kg) and a higher risk level (10,000 μg/kg). Both techniques achieved high accuracy (up to 94.5 %) in identifying contaminated grains. Key wavelengths were identified (e.g., 1203, 1419, 1424 and 1476 nm in NIR; 440-455 nm in Vis), and reducing the model to 20 wavelengths preserved performance while simplifying computation. Critically, removing just 21.5 % of the most contaminated grains could reduce overall toxin levels by over 95 %. Moreover, sampling simulations revealed that analysing 30 % of grains guarantees detection of contamination above legal limits, whereas 0.5 % sampling yields only a 25-33 % detection chance. These findings highlight a feasible path for integrating spectroscopic screening into industrial oat sorting lines, improving food safety, reducing economic losses, and overcoming key limitations of conventional mycotoxin monitoring. |
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