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. 2019 Sep 11;19(18):3912.
doi: 10.3390/s19183912.

Development of Flexible Dispense-Printed Electrochemical Immunosensor for Aflatoxin M1 Detection in Milk

Biresaw Demelash Abera  1 , Aniello Falco  2 , Pietro Ibba  3 , Giuseppe Cantarella  4 , Luisa Petti  5 , Paolo Lugli  6
Affiliations

Development of Flexible Dispense-Printed Electrochemical Immunosensor for Aflatoxin M1 Detection in Milk

Biresaw Demelash Abera et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Detection of mycotoxins, especially aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), in milk is crucial to be able to guarantee food quality and safety. In recent years, biosensors have been emerging as a fast, reliable and low-cost technique for the detection of this toxin. In this work, flexible biosensors were fabricated using dispense-printed electrodes, which were functionalized with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and subsequently coated with specific antibodies to improve their sensitivity. Next, the immunosensor was tested for the detection of AFM1 in buffer solution and a spiked milk sample using a chronoamperometric technique. Results showed that the working range of the sensors was 0.01 µg/L at minimum and 1 µg/L at maximum in both buffer and spiked milk. The lower limit of detection of the SWCNT-functionalized sensor was 0.02 µg/L, which indicates an improved sensitivity compared to the sensors reported so far. The sensitivity and detection range were in accordance with the limitation values imposed by regulations on milk and its products. Therefore, considering the low fabrication cost, the ease of operation, and the rapid read-out, the use of this sensor could contribute to safeguarding consumers' health.

Keywords: aflatoxin M1; biosensor; dispense-printing; immunosensor; milk; sensitivity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest, informed consent, human or animal rights applicable.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the fabricating process of the biosensors: (A) printing working electrode (WE) and counter electrode (CE), (B) printing WE with AgCl by alignment, (C) spray depositing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), (D) immobilization of antibody, and (E) final biosensor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cyclic voltammetry unfunctionalized vs. functionalized electrode in potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) solution.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Atomic force micrographs (AFM) of the electrode: (A) unfunctionalized Ag electrode and (B) functionalized electrode with SWCNTs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
2D profile of the electrode: (A) step height and (B) surface roughness.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chronoamperometric measurement of AFM1 in buffer solution; A0 is the sensor response without AFM1.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chronoamperometric measurement of AFM1 in spiked milk sample; A0 is the sensor response without AFM1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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