An ultrasensitive aptasensor for Ochratoxin A using hexagonal core/shell upconversion nanoparticles as luminophores

We developed an ultrasensitive luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) aptasensor for Ochratoxin A (OTA) detection, using core/shell upconversion nanoparticles (CS-UCNPs) as luminophores. The OTA aptamer was tagged to CS-UCNPs as energy donor and graphene oxide (GO) acted as energy acceptor. The π-π stacking interaction between the aptamer and GO brought CS-UCNPs and GO in close proximity hence initiated the LRET process resulting in quenching of CS-UCNPs luminescence. A linear calibration was obtained between the luminescence intensity and the logarithm of OTA concentration in the range from 0.001 ng mL−1 to 250 ng mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.001 ng mL−1. The aptasensor showed good specificity towards OTA in beer samples. The ultrahigh sensitivity and pronounced robustness in beer sample matrix suggested promising prospect of the aptasensor inpractical applications.