Recent developments in DNA nanostructure-based biosensors for the detection of melamine adulteration in milk

Abstract

Due to the remarkable impact of food safety on public health, accurate food safety surveillance is a major issue in the food industry. The increasing trend of the world population leads to higher food demand and, as a result, more food adulteration for economic benefits. Melamine is a nitrogen-rich compound that is used as a common milk and infant formula adulterant that shows the apparent protein content of these two foodstuffs falsely higher. Melamine digestion could have irreparable effects on human health. The incidence of two widespread melamine poisoning incidents in 2007 and 2008 drew the massive attention of competent authorities and researchers to find more efficient and convenient methods than the conventional ones for the detection of melamine adulteration in milk. Biosensors are promising, efficient, and user-friendly tools for diagnostic purposes in the food industry. Melamine is a highly versatile analyte to be detected through various sensing approaches, of which considering the advantages of DNA nanostructure-based biosensors such as biocompatibility, durability, versatile design and and easy modification through their synthesis with accompany of various linkages, many of the recent biosensing approaches for melamine detection have used DNA nanostructures as their biorecognition element. In this light, DNA nanostructure-based approaches for the detection of melamine adulteration in milk will be reviewed in this paper.