Fabricated aptamer-based electrochemical “signal-off” sensor of ochratoxin A

An ultrasensitive and rapid electrochemical platform for the specific detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) was developed. In this method, three single-stranded DNA molecules, including the aptamer, were immobilized on the surface of an electrode. Binding of the OTA target analyte to the aptamer changed the redox current of methylene blue (MB), which was used as the electrochemical probe, in a manner that was dependent on OTA concentration. With signal enhancement from gold nanoparticle-functionalized DNA, the sensitivity of this method for OTA was as low as 30 pg/mL, and the effective sensing range was from 0.1 to 20 ng/mL. To investigate the sensing process, the conformational switch of the aptamer was studied by circular dichroism (CD), which confirmed the recognition of the aptamer by the target OTA. Given its sensitivity and rapid detection, we believe this approach has the potential to be a main technology for the detection of toxins in the field of food safety, and in other areas.