Aptamers as next-generation tools for real-time food monitoring

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria and chemical contaminants in food pose serious threats to human health, necessitating rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection methods. Conventional approaches, including microbial culture, molecular assays, and immunoassays, are limited by long turnaround times, high costs, labor intensity, and reliance on skilled personnel. Aptamer-based biosensors (aptasensors) have emerged as promising alternatives due to their high specificity, stability, and scalable chemical synthesis. Aptamers, generated via SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EX ponential enrichment), offer strong target affinity and versatility in detecting pathogens, toxins, antibiotics, and heavy metals. Electrochemical and optical aptasensors have demonstrated effective detection of Salmonella typhimurium, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, aflatoxins, penicillin, kanamycin, Pb²⁺, and Cd²⁺ with low detection limits. However, challenges such as aptamer degradation, chemical modification requirements, and regulatory barriers limit commercial adoption. Aptasensors represent a versatile and promising approach for enhancing food safety monitoring.