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. 2023 Aug 10;14(9):4660-4676.
doi: 10.1364/BOE.500311. eCollection 2023 Sep 1.

Humanoid-shaped WaveFlex biosensor for the detection of food contamination

Ragini Singh  1 , Wen Zhang  2 , Xuecheng Liu  2 , Bingyuan Zhang  2   3 , Santosh Kumar  2
Affiliations

Humanoid-shaped WaveFlex biosensor for the detection of food contamination

Ragini Singh et al. Biomed Opt Express. .

Abstract

High-toxicity secondary metabolites called aflatoxin are naturally produced by the fungus Aspergillus. In a warm, humid climate, Aspergillus growth can be considerably accelerated. The most dangerous chemical among all aflatoxins is aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which has the potential to cause cancer and several other health risks. As a result, food forensicists now urgently need a method that is more precise, quick, and practical for aflatoxin testing. The current study focuses on the development of a highly sensitive, specific, label-free, and rapid detection method for AFB1 using a novel humanoid-shaped fiber optic WaveFlex biosensor (refers to a plasmon wave-based fiber biosensor). The fiber probe has been functionalized with nanomaterials (gold nanoparticles, graphene oxide and multiwalled carbon nanotubes) and anti-AFB1 antibodies to enhance the sensitivity and specificity of the developed sensor. The findings demonstrate that the developed sensor exhibits a remarkable low detection limit of 34.5 nM and exceptional specificity towards AFB1. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrated exceptional characteristics such as high stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and reusability. These essential factors highlight the significant potential of the proposed WaveFlex biosensor for the accurate detection of AFB1 in diverse agricultural and food samples.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing for financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Light propagation through conventional taper fiber, adapted from [27].
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Schematic of humanoid-shaped fiber-based sensor structure.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Nanoparticles-immobilization and enzyme functionalization over the fiber structure.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Experimental setup for aflatoxin measurement using the humanoid-shaped fiber sensor.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Simulation results of humanoid-shaped fiber structure.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Repeatability analysis of the fabricated humanoid sensor structure: (a) diameter scanning result obtained through CMS machine; (b) normalized intensity spectra of the fabricated probe.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
HR-TEM images of (a) AuNPs, (b) GO/MWCNTs, (c) absorbance spectra of AuNPs, and (d) SEM images of a developed humanoid-shaped fiber sensor structure.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
(a) AuNPs-immobilized over fiber structure, (b) AuNPs, and GO/MWCNTs-over the fiber probe, (c) EDS analysis of Fig. 8(b).
Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
(a) Sensing spectrum and (b) linear plot of developed sensor.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.
Performance analysis, (a) stability and (b) pH-test of sensor.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.
Performance analysis, (a) reproducibility, (b) reusability test of sensor.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.
Selectivity test of the proposed WaveFlex biosensor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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