Label-free impedimetric immunosensors for sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1 in food

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the mycotoxins highly resistant to food processing that enters the food chain and provide a threat to human health. In this paper, different immobilization techniques of the monoclonal anti-AFB1 on gold electrodes were tested and compared, in order to develop a label-free immunosensor able to detect AFB1 amount imposed by European legislation for adult and infant foods. Different materials, coupled with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as transduction technique, were used to improve immunosensors analytical parameters, such as linear range, sensitivity and limit of detection. Through the use of ferrocene molecules, the immunosensor showed linearity in the range 0.01-10 ng/mL and the lowest limit of detection (0.01 ng/mL), allowing the possibility to use it in a wide range of food products, including infant foods.