FoodSafety4EU Platform

We are proud to be a supporting partner of the FoodSafety4EU Platform, a European initiative dedicated to strengthening food safety systems through collaboration, knowledge exchange and innovation.

As an independent competence center for food safety, testing and certification, LVA contributes long-standing scientific expertise and practical experience along the entire food value chain. Our work in laboratory analysis, quality assurance, audits and applied research supports the platform’s mission to promote safe food consumption and foster dialogue between experts, industry and stakeholders across Europe.

Together with FoodSafety4EU, we are committed to improving food quality, supporting innovation and shaping the future of food safety in Europe.

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Scientific Corner

Developments in mycotoxin analysis: an update for 2024-2025
  This review summarises key developments in mycotoxin analysis reported between mid-2024 and mid-2025. It covers advances across the entire analytical workflow, including sampling, quality assurance/quality control, sample preparation, and detection technologies. A major focus lies on chromatographic methods coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS and HRMS) for targeted and multi-mycotoxin determination, alongside emerging non-targeted and suspect-screening approaches. The review further addresses rapid screening tools such as biosensors and immunoassays, as well as spectroscopy-based and data-driven methods. By highlighting methodological innovations, performance characteristics, and current limitations, the article provides a concise... Read more...
Assessing Sample Preparation for Safer Wheat Testing
Accurate analysis of mycotoxins in cereals is essential for food safety, but most proficiency tests only evaluate analytical methods, ignoring the critical steps of sampling and sample preparation. A recent study in World Mycotoxin Journal addresses this gap by designing a quality control scheme for deoxynivalenol (DON) testing in wheat. Researchers developed fortified kernel-like wheat material using DON-doped dough, producing kernels physically similar to wheat with realistic DON content and low kernel-to-kernel variation. Test samples were prepared by incorporating ~0.2% fusarium-damaged kernels into clean durum wheat, reflecting high-quality wheat standards. Fourteen... Read more...
New Insights on Mycotoxin Reference Materials
Certified reference materials (CRMs) are the backbone of reliable mycotoxin analysis in accredited laboratories. Yet, until now, there has been no systematic, comparative evaluation of their real-world quality. 30% of tested reference standards were outside the acceptable target value range when confirmed by both LC-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD Up to 50% deviated when results from either method were considered Multiple impurities were detected in all toxin groups using LC-HRMS (12 in DON, 10 in AFB1, 8 in ZON) Significant differences were observed in uncertainty reporting and stability performance across suppliers In... Read more...
Global Benchmarking of Multi-Mycotoxin LC-MS/MS Methods
A comprehensive interlaboratory comparison study evaluated the performance of LC-MS/MS multi-mycotoxin methods across nine laboratories worldwide. The participants analyzed 24 regulated and emerging mycotoxins in four challenging matrices: soy, corn gluten, chicken feed, and swine feed. In total, more than 6,000 data points were generated and statistically assessed using consensus values and z-scores based on a modified Horwitz model. Overall, 70% of all results fell within the satisfactory z-score range (±2), demonstrating that routine laboratories are capable of delivering reliable data for both regulated and non-regulated mycotoxins, even in complex... Read more...