Aptamer-based lateral flow strip for rapid detection of AFB1 in peanuts, soybeans, corn, and rice
Sixian Wang, Zhuoer Chen, Shuang Jiang, Xiaoling Zheng, Yueyang Ren, Xunqing Nie, Wenyu Xiang, Xianlu Lei, Qi Sun, Tao Le
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a Group 1 carcinogenic mycotoxin, poses a significant threat to human health by contaminating crops. It is urgent to establish a simple and rapid detection method to promptly identify the risk of AFB1 residues, thereby mitigating its adverse health effects and reducing economic losses. In this study, a lateral flow strip (LFS) via a high-performance aptamer as the recognition element was developed for the detection of AFB1 in crops. Firstly, Aptamer7 was selected from 8 reported AFB1 aptamers employing molecular dynamics and the SYBR Green I assay, demonstrating good affinity and stability. Subsequently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-based LFS was prepared with the application of Aptamer7. The results showed that the linear detection range was 1–200 ng/mL, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.23 ng/mL and strong anti-interference capability. Finally, the method's reliability was evaluated through AFB1-spiked samples. The average recoveries ranged from 92.51 to 119.21 %, with coefficients of variation (CV) between 1.47 and 6.32 % in peanuts, soybeans, corn, and rice. Moreover, the test results generated via the established method showed high consistency with those derived from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), indicating that the LFS provides an alternative and promising strategy for monitoring AFB1 in crops. • Top-performing Aptamer7 was first selected from AFB1 aptamer pool. • Molecular dynamics study revealed the structural and dynamic properties of Aptamer7. • A portable colorimetric sensing platform based LFS was constructed to detect AFB1.