A single-use electrochemical biosensor system for ultrasensitive detection of Aflatoxin B1 in rice, corn, milk, peanut, chili pepper samples

Aflatoxin B1, a common food contaminant in peanuts and corn and a genotoxic carcinogen in humans poses a significant risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, making its detection crucial; this study aims to develop a label-free electrochemical biosensor using a disposable indium tin oxide polyethylene terephthalate (ITO-PET) electrode modified with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane for detecting Aflatoxin B1 in real food samples. Initially, optimization steps for the proposed biosensor were conducted using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. Characterization steps such as storage capacity, regeneration, and single frequency impedance (SFI) were completed for the proposed disposable biosensor after the optimization steps. The electrochemical biosensor, based on AFB1, exhibited excellent repeatability and reproducibility. It had a broad dynamic detection range from 0.1 fg/mL to 500 fg/mL, with low limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) at 0.19 fg/mL and 0.65 fg/mL, respectively. Finally, the proposed AFB1-based biosensor system was applied to real food samples (rice, chili pepper, milk, corn, and peanuts) for testing and validation.