Michel W Nielen

Wageningen University & Research | WUR · Institute of Food and Safety (RIKILT)

The lack of chromatographic separation in ambient and direct mass spectrometry (MS) ionization techniques jeopardizes the overall selectivity of the developed methods. Incorporating a biosensing element at the ionization source could compensate for that inherent lack of selectivity. Thus, a simplified immunoaffinity-direct MS technique was develope...

Due to the absence of chromatographic separation, ambient ionization mass spectrometry had the potential to improve the throughput of control laboratories in the last decades and will soon be an excellent approach for on-site use as well. In this study, an atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP) with a single quadrupole mass analyzer has been eval...

Paramagnetic microspheres can be used in planar array fluorescence immunoassays for single or multiplex screening of food contaminants. However, no confirmation of the molecular identity is obtained. Coated blade spray (CBS) is a direct ionization mass spectrometry (MS) technique, and when combined with triple quadrupole MS/MS, it allows for rapid...

A hand-held laser diode thermal desorption electrospray ionization (LDTD-ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) method was developed for rapid screening of illegal substances in solid samples. To achieve that, a simple, inexpensive, battery-powered surgical laser diode at 940 nm was employed to ablate the solid samples. The potential of using a black polytetr...

In recent years, conjugated mycotoxins have gained increasing interest in food safety, as their hydrolysis in human and animal intestines leads to an increase in toxicity. For the production of zearalenone (ZEN) glycosides reference standards, we applied Cunninghamellaelegans and Cunninghamella echinulata fungal strains. A sulphate-depleted medium...

The elimination of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) and its induced antibodies through milk of 2 formulations is studied to propose a control strategy for its use or abuse. Two dairy cows were treated with alanine-rbST (Ala-rbST), which is identical to endogenous bovine somatotropin, and ten dairy cows were treated with methionine-rbST (Met-r...

While consumer-focused food analysis is upcoming, the need for multiple sample preparation and handling steps is limiting. On-site and consumer-friendly analysis paradoxically still requires laboratory-based and skill-intensive sample preparation methods. Here, we present a compact, inexpensive, and novel prototype immunosensor combining sample pre...

Sandwich lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are limited at high antigen concentrations by the hook effect, leading to a contradictory decrease in the test line (T) intensity and false-negative results. The hook effect is mainly associated with the loss of T, and research focuses on minimizing this effect. Nevertheless, the control line (C) intensity...

On-site testing in food analysis using mass spectrometry (MS) requires miniaturization of vacuum systems, mass analyzers, sample cleanup, and ionization sources. In this study, a simple coated blade spray (CBS) ion source was developed that enables high voltage generation on the blade by ubiquitous certified (micro-)USB On-The-Go devices like smart...

In food analysis, a trend towards on-site testing of quality and safety parameters is emerging. So far, on-site testing has been mainly explored by miniaturized optical spectroscopy and ligand-binding assay approaches such as lateral flow immunoassays and biosensors. However, for the analysis of multiple parameters at regulatory levels, mass spectr...

Identification and confirmation of known as well as unknown (bio)chemical entities in ambient mass spectrometry (MS) and MS imaging (MSI) mostly involve accurate mass determination, often in combination with MS/MS or MSⁿ work flows. To further improve structural assignment, additional molecular information is required. Here we present an ambient hy...

(1) Background: The lack of globally standardized allergen labeling legislation necessitates consumer-focused multiplexed testing devices. These should be easy to operate, fast, sensitive and robust. (2) Methods: Herein, we describe the development of three different formats for multiplexed food allergen detection, namely active and passive flow-th...

In drug discovery, it is important to identify phase I metabolic modifications as early as possible to screen for inactivation of drugs and/or activation of prodrugs. As the major class of reactions in phase I metabolism is oxidation reactions, oxidation of drugs with TiO2 photocatalysis can be used as a simple non-biological method to initially el...

The extremely toxic botulinum neurotoxin poses a threat for health and food safety, requiring rapid and easy-to-use detection platforms. To meet these requirements, we have explored a novel functional assay format for detection of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A light chain (BoNT/A LC) in complex matrices. The proposed assay utilizes a synthetic pe...

Reactions in confined compartments like charged microdroplets are of increasing interest, notably because of their substantially increased reaction rates. When combined with ambient ionization mass spectrometry, reactions in charged microdroplets can be used to improve the detection of analytes or to study the molecular details of the reactions in...

Currently beer is booming, mainly due to the steady rise of craft breweries worldwide. Previous surveys for occurrence of mycotoxins in beer, were mainly focussed on industrial produced beer. The present survey reports the presence of mycotoxins in craft beer and how this compares to industrial produced beer. More than 1000 beers were collected fro...

LC-MS/MS conditions. (PDF)

A) Global beer samples surveyed by region B) European beer samples surveyed by country. (PDF)

Mycotoxin specific MS/MS settings and standard addition levels. (PDF)

Multi-mycotoxin dose-response curves in dark ale. (PDF)

Comparison of DON+D3G contaminations in similar beer styles. (PDF)

Intra- and interday precision of the 6-plex assay. (PDF)

Intra- and interday determinations of mycotoxin concentrations using the 6-plex assay. (PDF)

Intra- and interday IC50s based on multi-mycotoxin dose-response curves. (PDF)

6-plex immunoassay screening data for A) African traditional beers B) bock beers C) dark ale beers D) dark lager beers E) double India pale ale beers F) eisbock beers G) fruit/vegetable/spice beers H) imperial stout beers I) India pale ale beers J) non/low alcohol beers K) pale ale beers L) pale lager beers M) saison beers N) smoked beers O) sour a...

Reassessment of Spanish breweries for FB contaminations by LC-MS/MS analysis. (PDF)

DON+D3G contamination per beer style group. (PDF)

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and their and the corresponding N-oxides (PAs-ox) are genotoxic plant metabolites which can be present as unwanted contaminants in food products of herbal origin like tea and food supplements. PAs and PAs-ox come in a wide variety of molecular structures including many structural isomers. For toxicity assessment it is...

Direct analysis of synthetic fibers under ambient conditions is highly desired to identify the polymer, the finishes applied and irregularities that may compromise its performance and value. In this paper, laser ablation electrospray ionization ion mobility time of flight mass spectrometry (LAESI-IMS-TOF-MS) was used for the analysis of synthetic p...

According to EU legislation a confirmatory method used for residue analysis should be able to confirm the identity of a compound beyond reasonable doubt. To provide an adequate instrumental set-up, Commission Decision 2002/657/EC introduced the concept of “identification points”. A second aspect to assure unequivocal confirmation, is the establishm...

A simplified coupling of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immuno-biosensing with ambient ionization mass spectrometry (MS) was developed. It combines two orthogonal analysis techniques: the biosensing capability of SPR and the chemical identification power of high resolution MS. As a proof-of-principle, deoxynivalenol (DON), an important mycotoxin,...

A competitive inhibition immunoassay is described for the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in beer using a portable nanostructured imaging surface plasmon resonance (iSPR) biosensor, also referred to as imaging nanoplasmonics. The toxins were directly and covalently immobilized on a 3-dimensional carboxymethylated dextran (CMD...

Rationale: Recently, several direct and/or ambient mass spectrometry (MS) approaches have been suggested for drugs of abuse imaging in hair. The use of mass spectrometers with insufficient selectivity could result in false-positive measurements due to isobaric interferences. Different mass analyzers have been evaluated regarding their selectivity...

Besides the identification point system to assure adequate set-up of instrumentation, European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC includes performance criteria regarding relative ion abundances in mass spectrometry and chromatographic retention time. In confirmatory analysis, the relative abundance of two product ions, acquired in selected reaction mo...

Forensic hair evidence can be used to obtain retrospective timelines of drug use by the analysis of hair segments. However, this is a laborious and time consuming process and mass spectrometry (MS) imaging techniques, showing great potential for single hair targeted analysis, are less useful due to differences in hair growth rate between individual...

A 6-plex competitive inhibition immunoassay for mycotoxins in barley was developed on a prototype portable nanostructured imaging surface plasmon resonance (iSPR) instrument, also referred to as imaging nanoplasmonics. As a benchmark for the prototype nanoplasmonics instrument, first a double 3-plex assay was developed for the detection of deoxyniv...

External contamination can cause false positive results in forensic hair testing for drugs of abuse and is therefore a major concern when hair evidence is used in court. Current literature about decontamination strategies is mainly focused on external cocaine contamination and no consensus on the best decontamination procedure for hair samples cont...

Here we present the concept of a protein microarray-based fluorescence immunoassay for multiple biomarker detection in milk extracts by an ordinary smartphone. A multiplex immunoassay was designed on a microarray chip, having built-in positive and negative quality controls. After the immunoassay procedure, the 48 microspots were labelled with Quant...

The use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) to enhance milk production is approved in several countries, but it is prohibited in the European Union. According to EU legislation, it is necessary to confirm positive screening results prior to enforcement. Although adequate screening assays are available nowadays, development of liquid chromatog...

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) optical sensing is a label-free technique for real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions. Recently, a portable imaging SPR (iSPR) prototype instrument, featuring a nanostructured gold chip, has been developed. In the present work, we investigated the crucial first steps, prior to eventual use of the nanostruct...

In agriforensics, time of administration is often debated when illegal drug residues, like clenbuterol, are found in frequently traded cattle. In this proof-of-concept work, the feasibility to obtain retrospective timeline information from segmented calf tail hair analyses has been studied. First, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem m...

Selectivity of the confirmation of identity in liquid chromatography (tandem) mass spectrometry using Q-Orbitrap instrumentation was assessed using different acquisition modes based on a representative experimental data set constructed from 108 samples, including six different matrix extracts and containing over 100 analytes each. Single stage full...

Laser-ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) does not require very flat surfaces, high-precision sample preparation, or the addition of matrix. Because of these features, LAESI-MSI may be the method of choice for spatially-resolved food analysis. In this work, LAESI time-of-flight MSI was investigated for macroscop...

Current contaminant and residue monitoring throughout the food chain is based on sampling, transport, administration, and analysis in specialized control laboratories. This is a highly inefficient and costly process since typically more than 99 % of the samples are found to be compliant. On-site simplified prescreening may provide a scenario in whi...

Mycotoxins are produced by fungi as secondary metabolites. They often multi-contaminate food and feed commodities posing a health risk to humans and animals. A fast and easy to apply multiplex screening of these commodities could be useful to detect multi-contamination. For this, we developed a semi-quantitative 6-plex immunoassay using a suspensio...

Rationale: Forensic hair analysis methods are laborious, time-consuming and provide only a rough retrospective estimate of the time of drug intake. Recently, hair imaging methods using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) were reported, but these methods require the application of MALDI matrix and are performed...

There are similarities between sports doping and veterinary control. Prohibited substances (e.g., anabolic agents and peptide hormones) are similar, and immunoassays and chromatography-mass spectrometry are applied as analytical methods in both worlds. In recent years, detection strategies based on protein biomarkers were successfully developed and...

A better characterization of nanometer-thick organic layers (monolayers) as used for engineering surface properties, biosensing, nanomedicine and smart materials will widen their application. The aim of this study was to develop direct analysis in real time high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) into a new and complementary analytical tool f...

Recently it has been shown that conjugates ('masked mycotoxins') may contribute to the total daily intake of hazardous mycotoxins. Therefore, there is an urgent need for rapid analysis methods that assess the level of both free and masked mycotoxins in food and feed. However, the analysis of masked mycotoxins by either immunoassays or instrumental...

Sensitive and robust bioassays able to detect nuclear receptor activation are very useful for veterinary and doping control, pharmaceutical industry and environmental scientists. Here, we used bioassays based on human leukemic monocyte lymphoma U937 and human liver hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell lines to detect the ligand-induced activation of...

Om het ontstaan van antibioticaresistente bacteriën tegen te gaan, mogen pluimveehouders antibiotica alleen nog therapeutisch gebruiken. RIKILT ontwikkelde een fluorescentietest waarmee relatief eenvoudig en snel kan worden achterhaald of kuikens antibiotica hebben gekregen en ook of de antibiotica tegen ziekte of meer als groeibevorderaar zijn ing...

Coccidiostats are authorized in the European Union (EU) to be used as poultry feed additives. Maximum (residue) levels (M(R)Ls) have been set within the EU for consumer and animal protection against unintended carry-over, and monitoring is compulsory. This paper describes the single-laboratory validation of a previously developed multiplex flow cyt...

A high-throughput bioaffinity liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (BioMS) approach was developed and applied for the screening and identification of recombinant human estrogen receptor α (ERα) ligands in dietary supplements. For screening, a semi-automated mass spectrometric ligand binding assay was developed applying (13)C2, (15) N-tamoxifen a...

beta2-Adrenergic agonists, or β2-agonists, are considered essential bronchodilator drugs in the treatment of bronchial asthma, both as symptoms-relievers and, in combination with inhaled corticosteroids, as disease-controllers. The use of β2-agonists is prohibited in sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to claimed anabolic effects, and...

Ingestion of products containing Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) fruits contaminated or adulterated with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) fruits can cause poisoning due to the neurotoxin anisatin that is present in Japanese star anise. Thus a rapid, simple and unambiguous distinction between the morphologically similar Chinese star anise...

In this study, desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI) linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) was applied for the confirmation and three-dimensional profiling of anabolic steroid esters in an injection site of bovine muscle. The spatial resolution of the DESI-MS(n) was demonstrated by scanning hormone esters and marker ink lines drawn a...

A combined (triplex) immunoassay for the simultaneous detection of three mycotoxins in grains was developed with superparamagnetic colour-encoded microbeads, in combination with two bead-dedicated flow cytometers. Monoclonal antibodies were coupled to the beads, and the amounts of bound mycotoxins were inversely related to the amounts of bound fluo...

Recent developments in spectrally encoded microspheres (SEMs)-based technologies provide high multiplexing possibilities. Most SEMs-based assays require a flow cytometer with sophisticated fluidics and optics. A new imaging super-paramagnetic SEMs-based alternative platform transports SEMs with considerably less fluid volume into a measuring chambe...

Targeted protein biomarker profiling is suggested as a fast screening approach for detection of illegal hormone treatment in meat production. The advantage of using biomarkers is that they mark the biological response, thus are responsive to a panel of substances with similar effects. In a preliminary feasibility study, a 4-plex protein biomarker f...

Due to the unexpected findings of the banned antibiotic chloramphenicol in products of animal origin, feed and straw, the hypothesis was studied that the drug is naturally present in soil, through production by soil bacteria, and subsequently can be transferred to crops. First, the stability of chloramphenicol in soil was studied. The fate of chlor...

To investigate whether clenbuterol-treated calves could contaminate untreated pen mates, three animal experiments were performed. (1) One calf of a pen of five was treated with clenbuterol by injection (Ventipulmin injection, REG NL 2532, 2.5 mL/100 kg) twice a day for 10 days. (2) In two pens, one animal was treated with clenbuterol via oral admin...

A generic high-throughput bioaffinity liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (BioMS) approach was developed and applied for the screening and identification of known and unknown recombinant human sex hormone-binding globulin (rhSHBG)-binding designer steroids in dietary supplements. For screening, a semi-automated competitive inhibition binding as...

A comprehensive method for the quantitative residue analysis of trace levels of 22 ß-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems, in poultry muscle by liquid chromatography in combination with tandem mass spectrometric detection is reported. The samples analyzed for ß-lactam residues are hydrolyzed using piperidine in...

Sample preparation is critical in relation to analysis time, sample throughput and therefore analysis costs. Due to recent advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instrumentation, the detection of many compounds within one run became possible, and methods for the simultaneous analysis of different compound groups were developed....

We developed a procedure to determine the "identification power" of an LC-MS/MS method operated in the MRM acquisition mode, which is related to its selectivity. The probability of any compound showing the same precursor ion, product ions, and retention time as the compound of interest is used as a measure of selectivity. This is calculated based u...

Detailed molecular analysis by Direct Analysis in Real Time High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (DART-HRMS) of ester and amide-terminated monolayers is demonstrated. The structural information obtained allowed monitoring of the progress of a 4-step surface modification.

Use of hormones for fattening purposes is forbidden in the animal production in Europe (European Commission. 1996. Council Directive EC/96/22 (replacement of 88/146/EC). Off J Eur Commun. L125:3-9; European Commission. 1996. Council Directive EC/96/23. Off J Eur Commun. L125:10-32). Moreover, Regulation (EC) 178/2002 (European Commission. 2002. Reg...

Within the EU the use of growth hormones is banned. However, in several countries outside the EU the use of the growth hormone somatotropin, a 191 amino acid protein, for cattle is allowed. In the United States recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is allowed to increase milk production in cows, while recombinant porcine somatotropin (rpST) is reg...

Biomarker profiling, as a rapid screening approach for detection of hormone abuse, requires well selected candidate biomarkers and a thorough in vivo biomarker evaluation as previously done for detection of growth hormone doping in athletes. The bovine equivalent of growth hormone, called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is (il)legally admini...

Serum preparation, generic serum pre-treatment and 4-plex FCIA for serum candidate biomarkers. (DOCX)

Standard curves of the three rbST-dependent biomarkers IGF-1, IGFBP2 and osteocalcin. Each data point is the mean of 8 separate measurements in a serum-matched buffer (80 mg mL−1 BSA in PBS solution). All curves relate to 80-times diluted sera. (TIF)

Treatment schedule and sampling time points for animal studies I and II. Arrows indicate the treatment of the cows with rbST in slow-release formula or the slow-release formula only; bold vertical lines indicate blood sampling time points. (TIF)

True-positive rates of the statistical multiple biomarker analysis. True-positive rates, obtained with the prediction models based on the eleven different biomarker combinations, were calculated for rbST-treated cows from animal study I in their treatment (day 16–71) and withdrawal period (day 72–99). (DOCX)

False-positive rates of the statistical multiple biomarker analysis. Results were calculated for 67 independent untreated cows predicted with the eleven different biomarker combination models. (DOCX)

Platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation of hydrogen-terminated silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) with 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl 4-pentenoate gave well-defined nanoparticles (NPs) with surface groups that are reactive toward amines. The particles showed a diameter of 1.4 ± 0.2 nm as revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Characterizatio...

Coccidiostats are the only veterinary drugs still permitted to be used as feed additives to treat poultry for coccidiosis. To protect consumers, maximum levels for their presence in food and feed have been set by the European Union (EU). To monitor these coccidiostats, a rapid and inexpensive screening method would be a useful tool. The development...

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is licensed for enhancing milk production in dairy cows in some countries, for instance the United States, but is banned in Europe. Serum biomarker profiling can be an adequate approach to discriminate between treated and untreated groups. In this study a multiplex screening tool of a small set of biomarkers f...

For years it has been suspected that natural hormones are illegally used as growth promoters in cattle in the European Union. Unfortunately there is a lack of methods and criteria that can be used to detect the abuse of natural hormones and distinguish treated from non-treated animals. Pattern recognition of steroid profiles is a promising approach...

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) can be used to enhance milk production in dairy cattle. This is permitted in several countries but unauthorized in the European Union. Antibodies, which are produced endogenously in response to rbST administration, can be detected as a biomarker for indicating rbST (ab)use. For the first time, a fast and easy-...

For the analysis of thyroid transporter ligands, a triple bioaffinity mass spectrometry (BioMS) concept was developed, with the aim at three different analytical objectives: rapid screening of any ligand, confirmation of known ligands in accordance with legislative requirements, and identification of emerging yet unknown ligands. These three purpos...

Isoxsuprine is a beta-agonist that can be used for growth promotion in cattle, but it is also used as registered veterinary medicine. To investigate if veterinary treatment of cows could lead to residues of isoxsuprine in the hair of their newborn calves, an animal experiment was performed. Four cows, treated on veterinary indication with isoxsupri...

Biotransformation of inactive prohormones like dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can lead to the formation of potent androgens and subsequent androgenic responses in target tissues. In the present study, precision-cut bovine liver slices were used to study the effects of DHEA on the metabolite, transcript and androgenic activity level. Bovine liver sli...

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) can be used to enhance milk production in dairy cattle. This is permitted in several countries but unauthorized in the European Union. Antibodies, which are produced endogenously in response to rbST administration, can be detected as a biomarker for indicating rbST (ab)use. For the first time, a fast and easy...

The (ab)use of steroid and protein hormones in animal farming cannot be excluded in the European Union. Screening and confirmatory methods are, therefore, necessary to detect the abuse of hormonal growth promoters. A biomarker approach for a screening method has several advantages over the direct detection of the abused substances. A sensitive and...

Biomarker profiling using multiplex methods are a promising screening tool for the detection of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) abuse in dairy cows. Here, a flow cytometric immunoassay with simultaneous detection of the rbST-dependent biomarkers insulin-like growth factor, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2, endogenously produced a...

Administration of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) to enhance milk production in dairy cows is banned within the European Union. Therefore, methods for pinpointing rbST abuse are required. Due to the problematic detection of rbST itself in serum, methods are also focused on detecting changes in rbST-related biomarkers. In this study, a fast a...

After ingestion, products containing Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) contaminated or adulterated with Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) or other Illicium species, can cause epilepsy, hallucinations, and nausea due to the rare neurotoxic sesquiterpene dilactone anisatin that is present in Japanese star anise. Thus a rapid, simple and unamb...