Electrochemical aptasensors for the assessment of food quality and safety

• New aptamers for food contaminants selected in the last 3 years.
• Various strategies for highly sensitive electrochemical aptasensors.
• Several proven applications in analysis of food samples.
• Nanomaterial-based strategies are prevalent.

Development of highly sensitive analytical procedures for food contaminants is one of the critical points in addressing new challenges related to food safety worldwide. Electrochemical aptamer-based sensors have been intensively investigated as potential analytical tools providing the desired portability, fast response, sensitivity and specificity in addition to lower cost and simplicity versus classical methods. The paper summarizes the aptasensors reported in the literature in the last 3 years, that have been used in applications related to food safety. New trends pertaining to increasing the sensitivity of detection by using nanomaterials and engineering of new aptamers are briefly discussed. With the recent development of new aptamers and following the lead of aptasensors devoted to biomedical field, the next years will witness an avalanche of new exciting electrochemical aptasensors for food safety.