**1. Introduction**

Food matrices are organic materials with varied compositions, which also provide the nutritional components and perfect growing conditions for microorganisms, coupled with the simultaneous occurrence of several metabolic activities. Agricultural products, such as vegetables and fruits, are the basis of the food chain. Additional mechanical injuries during postharvest processing, storage and transportation may cause further points of contamination, leading to reduced quality, and compromising safety.

Preserving food products involves controlling external and internal conditions to avoid undesirable microbial growth and/or degradation processes, as well as the biosynthesis of unavoidable secondary metabolites, namely mycotoxins and phycotoxins.

Globalization demands high quality and competitiveness throughout the food chain. Quality and safety are typically achieved through a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Risk Assessment. Providing raw materials of high quality and safe ingredients also includes the quality of water employed in food processes, which should be free of contami‐ nants. Such strategies involve the detection of toxic secondary metabolites through continuous monitoring with reliable analytical methods, which should not only be restricted at the qualitative occurrence level but also the exact quantitative level compared with the maximal contamination limit proposed by guidelines.

The recommended techniques to detect ng and μg levels of toxic metabolites, and waste contaminants are based on High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with high sensitivity mass spectrometry (MS), which analyses residual contamination in a wide variety of products and materials.

These improvements are in contrast with the reality in raw material producing countries, highlighting the need for the innovative implementation of rapid methods combining simplicity, sensitivity and accuracy. Additionally, sequential processing and material resour‐ ces in the food industry should be continuously monitored for safety and quality, which requires rapid monitoring *in loco*.

The rapid detection of natural toxins, such as mycotoxins and cyanotoxins, has been focused on immunochemical methods developed with highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) matched with chromatographic methods. Such techniques arose based on antibodies, high‐ lighting the immunoaffinity column (IAC) for the clean-up step, and enzyme linked immu‐ nosorbent assay (ELISA) with the advantage of eliminating toxic solvents (using buffer). The current commercial kits have been the practical tool of choice and have an important role in avoiding hazards for animals and humans. Immunoassays are advancing with developments in nano-engineering, resulting in compact, miniaturized electronic devices, such as biosensors, which combine high specificity and biological diversity with automation of diagnostics. The advantages of these developments are their specificity, speed and simplicity for the detection of dangerous levels of natural toxins.

spectroscopy, computer vision and hyperspectral imaging coupled with multivariate analyses have been introduced as an alternative for the prediction of quality and compositional parameters. Rapid quality control and product traceability are discussed, as well as accurate monitoring, which is essential for potentially launching

**Keywords:** Food quality and safety, rapid methods, immunoassay, natural toxins,

Food matrices are organic materials with varied compositions, which also provide the nutritional components and perfect growing conditions for microorganisms, coupled with the simultaneous occurrence of several metabolic activities. Agricultural products, such as vegetables and fruits, are the basis of the food chain. Additional mechanical injuries during postharvest processing, storage and transportation may cause further points of contamination,

Preserving food products involves controlling external and internal conditions to avoid undesirable microbial growth and/or degradation processes, as well as the biosynthesis of

Globalization demands high quality and competitiveness throughout the food chain. Quality and safety are typically achieved through a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Risk Assessment. Providing raw materials of high quality and safe ingredients also includes the quality of water employed in food processes, which should be free of contami‐ nants. Such strategies involve the detection of toxic secondary metabolites through continuous monitoring with reliable analytical methods, which should not only be restricted at the qualitative occurrence level but also the exact quantitative level compared with the maximal

The recommended techniques to detect ng and μg levels of toxic metabolites, and waste contaminants are based on High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with high sensitivity mass spectrometry (MS), which analyses residual contamination in a wide

These improvements are in contrast with the reality in raw material producing countries, highlighting the need for the innovative implementation of rapid methods combining simplicity, sensitivity and accuracy. Additionally, sequential processing and material resour‐ ces in the food industry should be continuously monitored for safety and quality, which

The rapid detection of natural toxins, such as mycotoxins and cyanotoxins, has been focused on immunochemical methods developed with highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb)

unavoidable secondary metabolites, namely mycotoxins and phycotoxins.

an innovative system for food production in Brazil.

leading to reduced quality, and compromising safety.

contamination limit proposed by guidelines.

variety of products and materials.

requires rapid monitoring *in loco*.

sustainability

**1. Introduction**

138 Food Production and Industry

Nevertheless, both chemical and biological analytical methods are destructive, i.e., the decision concerning the total batch is extrapolated based on data obtained with samples that were already destroyed for analysis. Non-invasive and non-destructive chemical-free techniques came as a welcome option in the industrial process, including optical methods (Fourier Transform coupled to Infrared Spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy and transmittance in the near infrared, near-IR), as well as an "electronic nose" for volatile compounds. These technologies are able to integrate with online quality control monitoring systems in the food chain in real time and are able to detect imbalances caused by deteriorated quality, which can also indicate undesirable toxic metabolites.

Continuous tracking in the food chain should focus on safety and quality using practical and reliable analytical techniques. The combination of rapid biological assays, non-destructive physical technologies and primary chemical analysis are desirable procedures for extending the shelf life of a product.

We begin by presenting data on corn, a topic of concern in the food chain, as it is a universal ingredient with unavoidable mycotoxin hazards – even with extensive monitoring in the agroindustrial region of Southern Brazil. An ic-ELISA-based immunoassay was developed, established and optimized to analyse different food groups, using specific MAb produced by hybridomas (especially against non-immunogenic low molecular mass ochratoxin (OTA), aflatoxin (AF), deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEA), fumonisin B1(FB1), OTA and microcystin-LR (MCLR)). This has become important for rapid tracking, monitoring safety and quality, and providing guidance for the best conduct to establish a long-lasting trend focusing on harmless/sustainable management in uninterrupted tropical-subtropical farming, and in replacing chemical agrotoxicants. The control of natural toxins should begin at the field level through sustainable management, adequate water quality, predictive modelling, as well as in the food processing systems in agroindustry. Such an overall approach, could result in the production of healthy foods in potential food producing regions in Brazil.
