Abstract
Aflatoxins are the secondary metabolites of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus and are highly toxic and carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic. Ingestion of crops and food contaminated by aflatoxins causes extremely serious harm to human and animal health. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a selective, sensitive and simple method for the determination of aflatoxins. Due to their high performance and multipurpose characteristics, nanomaterials have been developed and applied to the monitoring of various targets, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, which include process complexity, time-consuming and laborious methodologies and the need for expensive instruments. At the same time, nanomaterials provide general promise for the detection of aflatoxins with high sensitivity, selectivity and simplicity. This review provides an overview of recent developments in nanomaterials employed for the detection of aflatoxins. The basic aspects of aflatoxin toxicity and the significance of aflatoxin detection are also reviewed. In addition, the development of different biosensors and nanomaterials for aflatoxin detection is introduced. The current capabilities and limitations and future challenges in aflatoxin detection and analysis are also addressed.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that widely exist in nature
Most of the electrochemical sensing devices used for aflatoxin detection are still in the laboratory research stage, and it is difficult to detect samples in real time as conveniently and quickly as is possible with commercial kits or blood glucose meters
As a new food analysis method, most of the detection schemes of nanomaterials detection technology are in the laboratory stage, which shows that the whole operation process is not stable enough and is still immature
Summary
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that widely exist in nature. Mycotoxins ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin can cause functional decline, disease and even death in humans and animals. Because aflatoxins are very heat stable, they are very difficult to destroy once formed; in addition, according to the existing agricultural and food production processing conditions, aflatoxins in food and feed cannot be completely avoided, and it is important to develop and establish sound monitoring and detection procedures for aflatoxins. For this reason, most countries have formulated the limit standards of aflatoxins in food.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
