Recent Progress on Techniques in the Detection of Aflatoxin B₁ in Edible Oil: A Mini Review

Contamination of agricultural products and foods by aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is becoming a serious global problem, and the presence of AFB₁ in edible oil is frequent and has become inevitable, especially in underdeveloped countries and regions. As AFB₁ results from a possible degradation of aflatoxins and the interaction of the resulting toxic compound with food components, it could cause chronic disease or severe cancers, increasing morbidity and mortality. Therefore, rapid and reliable detection methods are essential for checking AFB₁ occurrence in foodstuffs to ensure food safety. Recently, new biosensor technologies have become a research hotspot due to their characteristics of speed and accuracy. This review describes various technologies such as chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, ELISA techniques, and biosensing techniques, along with their advantages and weaknesses, for AFB₁ control in edible oil and provides new insight into AFB₁ detection for future work. Although compared with other technologies, biosensor technology involves the cross integration of multiple technologies, such as spectral technology and new nano materials, and has great potential, some challenges regarding their stability, cost, etc., need further studies.