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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
ELIME (Enzyme Linked Immuno Magnetic Electrochemical) Method for Mycotoxin Detection
Published on: October 23, 2009
Electrospun nanofiber-based solid-phase extraction coupled with aptamer-mediated FRET assay for detection of
Qinghai Hu1, Kangwei Shen2, Yunzheng Wang3
1College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China; School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
Background:
Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a highly toxic hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1, is a major contaminant of concern in milk and dairy products, posing significant risks to food safety and public health. Since AFM1 contamination is closely associated with feed quality, storage conditions, climatic factors, and farm management, reliable AFM1 detection is important for supporting quality control and safety assessment of dairy products. However, the determination of trace AFM1 in dairy matrices remains challenging, as complex matrix components may compromise analyte recognition specificity and signal readout. Accordingly, the development of a rapid, sensitive, and matrix-tolerant analytical method is highly desirable for practical AFM1 monitoring.
Results:
Herein, we developed an integrated analytical strategy combining nanofiber-packed solid-phase extraction (PFSPE) with an aptamer-mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay for AFM1 detection. Four types of polystyrene-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PS-PVP) nanofibers containing different amounts of montmorillonite (MMT) were fabricated by electrospinning and used as sorbents for the PFSPE of AFM1. The FRET sensing system was tailored for AFM1 recognition and enabled rapid signal transduction via target-induced changes in energy transfer efficiency. Both the PFSPE and the FRET-based assay contribute to rapid and accurate AFM1 determination. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method exhibited satisfactory linearity, recoveries (89.5-95.8%), precisions (RSDs ≤7.4%), and a limit of detection of 0.16 μg/kg. Moreover, the method was successfully applied to the detection of AFM1 in real milk samples.
Significance:
This work provides an effective analytical strategy for AFM1 detection by integrating electrospun nanofiber-assisted matrix cleanup and target enrichment with an aptamer-mediated FRET assay, thereby improving the reliability of fluorescence analysis in complex milk matrices and providing a practical platform for rapid screening and preliminary monitoring of AFM1 contamination in dairy products.
