Label-free detection of aflatoxin M1 with electrochemical Fe3O4/polyaniline-based aptasensor

The selective detection of ultratrace amounts of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is extremely important for food safety since it is the most toxic mycotoxin class that is allowed to be present on cow milk with strictly low regulatory levels. In this work, Fe3O4 incorporated polyaniline (Fe3O4/PANi) film has been polymerized on interdigitated electrode (IDE) as sensitive film for AFM1 electrochemical biosensor. The immobilized aptamers as an affinity capture reagent and magnetic nanoparticles for signal amplification element have been employed in the sensing platform. Label-free and direct detection of the aptamer-AFM1 on Fe3O4/PANi interface were performed via electrochemical signal change, acquired by cyclic and square wave voltammetries. With a simplified strategy, this electrochemical aptasensor shows a good sensitivity to AFM1 in the range of 6–60 ng·L− 1, with the detection limit of 1.98 ng·L− 1. The results open up the path for designing cost effective aptasensors for other biomedical applications.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Label-free detection of the aptamer-AFM1 on Fe3O4/PANi interface ► Electrochemical aptasensor with a good sensitivity to AFM1 in the range of 6–60 ng·L− 1, with detection limit of 1.98 ng·L− 1 ► Advantages over other analytical techniques in terms of label free format, sensitivity, stability and analysis time