Abstract
The ability to measure the concentration of specific small molecules continuously and in real-time in complex sample streams would impact many areas of agriculture, food safety, and food production. Monitoring for mycotoxin taint in real time during food processing, for example, could improve public health. Towards this end, we describe here an inexpensive electrochemical DNA-based sensor that supports real-time monitor of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A in a flowing stream of foodstuffs.
Highlights
Mycotoxins, a broad class of small molecule natural products produced by molds, are toxic to humans and other vertebrates
To create an ochratoxin A-detecting E-AB sensor we have employed an aptamer previously shown to bind this target with good specificity and affinity [11]
Several other groups have employed this aptamer for mycotoxin detection [11,12,13,14]
Summary
Mycotoxins, a broad class of small molecule natural products produced by molds, are toxic to humans and other vertebrates They primarily arise in foods stored in damp conditions and outbreaks are typically reported in the developing world. The specific mycotoxin ochratoxin A contaminates a wide range of crops worldwide, including coffee beans, grapes, and many grains used both for human consumption and animal feed. Specific binding of the target alters the conformation of the aptamer, changing the efficiency of electron transfer between the reporter and the electrode Interrogating this system using square wave voltammetry, an electrochemical measurement technique that is sensitive to changes in transfer rates, we observe a change in measured current that is quantitatively related to the concentration of the target.
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