Mycotoxin Testing Methods

Search for actual on-line methods of testing for mycotoxins, and you'll mostly find private labs that are looking for business. However, Aspergillus.org is kind enough to post a PDF of the 2006 article A review of rapid methods for the analysis of mycotoxins, first appearing in Mycopatholigia.

Another paper, Standardization of mycotoxin sampling procedures: an urgent necessity from the journal Food Control (2003) is courtesy of North Carolina State University.

An apparently unpublished paper from South Dakota State is available called Sampling and testing for aflatoxin in corn.

The lab Envirologix provides a few tips in Mycotoxin Testing.

Understanding Mycotoxin Testing and Interpretation is from EHS Today.

And finally, even though you can only access abstracts, this USDA research page lists many publications having to do with mycotoxins and their analysis.

A Few Tips for Mycological Analysis of Food

The International Commission of Food Mycology has a brief methods section at their website. They are not very detailed, but the organization provides some tips on testing food samples for fungi. The methods mentioned include direct observation, direct plating and dilution plating. A couple of media formulations are also offered.

Preserving Fungal Specimens

The impetus for this post is the news that Kew Gardens will soon possess the world's largest collection of fungi. Now it stands to reason that a collection of fungi must be preserved and maintained. First the specimens must be prepared.

Preserving Fungal Fruit Bodies

Collecting and Preserving Fungi (PDF Manual)

How to Collect, Record and Preserve Fungi Specimens

Collecting and Preserving Fungi (PDF) (an old classic)

A Simple Way to Preserve Fungal Cultures

Preserving cultures of wood-decaying Basidiomycotina using sterile distilled water in cryovials (PDF)

Technique for Long-Term Preservation of Phytopathogenic Fungi
in Liquid Nitrogen (PDF)

Preservation and Distribution of Fungal Cultures (PDF)

Isolation of Dung Fungi

This post is inspired by a recent article about scientists using an analysis of ancient dung fungi to study the environment during the time of the mammoths and their extinction. Dung fungi are relatively easy to observe, and even to isolate, so long as you don't have major qualms about working with dung.

The following references for isolation of dung fungi are either procedures or papers with clearly written Materials and Methods sections.

Isolation of Coprophilous Fungi (Word doc)

Isolation and Identification of Coprophillous Fungi

Diversity of Microfungi from animal excrement at Ko Saaesarn and Mu Ko Angthong National Park (PDF)

Fungal Protocols at Journal of Visualized Experiments

In an interesting new venture, some PhDs founded the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). JoVE hails itself as "online research journal employing visualization to increase reproducibility and transparency in biological sciences."

Looks pretty good. Anyone can get a free one-day subscription and an individual annual is $99.

A search of the website reveals two video series devoted to techniques applicable to fungal research.

Assay for Adhesion and Agar Invasion in S. cerevisiae

Gibberella zeae Ascospore Production and Collection for Microarray Experiments