Label-free ratiometric homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor based on hybridization chain reaction for facile and rapid detection of aflatoxin B1 in cereal crops

Chengxi Zhu; Dong Liu; Yuye Li; Ting Chen; Tianyan You

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131443

Label-free ratiometric homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor based on hybridization chain reaction for facile and rapid detection of aflatoxin B1 in cereal crops

Food Chem. 2022 Mar 30;373(Pt A):131443. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131443. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

Authors

Chengxi Zhu¹, Dong Liu², Yuye Li³, Ting Chen³, Tianyan You⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology (Jiangsu University), Ministry of Education, School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China.
² Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology (Jiangsu University), Ministry of Education, School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: dongliu@ujs.edu.cn.
³ Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology (Jiangsu University), Ministry of Education, School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology (Jiangsu University), Ministry of Education, School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: youty@ujs.edu.cn.

PMID: 34742048
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131443

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination has raised global concerns in agricultural and food industry; thus, sensitive, accurate and rapid AFB1 sensors are essential in many circumstances. Herein, we developed a label-free and immobilization-free ratiometric homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor based on hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for facile and rapid determination of AFB1. Methylene blue (MB) and ferrocene (Fc) were used as label-free probes to produce a response signal (I_MB) and a reference signal (I_Fc) in solution phase, respectively. The ratio of I_MB/I_Fc was used as a yardstick to quantify AFB1. HCR was exploited to enlarge the intensity of I_MB as well as ratiometric signal. By combining label-free homogeneous assay and ratiometric strategy, the resulting aptasensor offered sensitive, rapid, and reliable determinations of AFB1 with a detection limit of 38.8 pg mL^-1. The aptasensor was then used to determine AFB1 in cereal samples with comparable reliability as HPLC-MS.

Keywords: Aflatoxin B1; Homogeneous strategy; Hybridization chain reaction; Label-free; Ratiometric electrochemical sensor.

MeSH terms

Aflatoxin B1 / analysis
Aptamers, Nucleotide*
Biosensing Techniques*
Edible Grain / chemistry
Electrochemical Techniques
Gold
Limit of Detection
Reproducibility of Results

Substances

Aptamers, Nucleotide
Gold
Aflatoxin B1