Initial investigations for detection of aflatoxin B1 through nanostructured membranes
Nadezhda Sertova
, Maya Ignatova
, Yvette Ngono-Ravache
, Philippe Banet
Abstract: Mycotoxins are toxic and cancerogenic compounds produced by certain types of fungi. Fungi that produce mycotoxins grow on feed and food products. Most mycotoxins are chemically stable and survive food processing. Their toxicity occurs at very low concentrations, and therefore, there is a need of sensitive and reliable methods for their detection. Along the used conventional methods, nanomaterials are becoming increasingly widespread materials for detection of different residue. They could be functionalized with various biomolecules, such as enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, making them suitable for detection of various substances, such as bacteria, food and feed toxins. Among mycotoxins, aflatoxins are the most significant mycotoxins for agriculture. They could induce various toxic processes in humans and animals. For this purpose, nanostructured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes with pore size dimensions 170±4 nm and without being modified on pores surface were tested for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) detection. The detection principle was based on two methods, namely by diffusion and cyclic voltammetry. The challenge was to see if the molecules of mycotoxin could enter in the nanopores and catch to the non-modified inner walls of the membrane. In cyclic voltammetry study when there is a presence of AFB1 inside the nanopore it induces blockage of the ionic current. Using a nanoporous membrane the mycotoxins could be detected at the nanogram level, indicating that such membranes are promising candidates for detection of very small quantities mycotoxins in aqueous solution. New experimental protocol allows obtaining information about the nanoporous membranes tested if they could play a role as detectors for mycotoxins.
Keywords: aflatoxin B1; cyclic voltammetry; diffusion; mycotoxins; nanodetectors; nanoporous membranes
Citation: Sertova, N., Ignatova, M., Ngono-Ravache, Y. & Banet, Ph. (2026). Initial investigations for detection of aflatoxin B1 through nanostructured membranes. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 32(2), 440–446
| References: (click to open/close) | Ali, M., Nasir, S., Ramirez, P., Cervera, J., Mafe, S. & Ensinger, W. (2013). Carbohydratemediated biomolecular recognition and gating of synthetic ion channels. Journal of Physical Chemistry C., 117, 18234 - 18242.
Ali, M., Ramirez, P., Mafe, S., Neumann, R. & Ensinger, W. (2009). A pH-tunable nanofluidic diode with a broad range of rectifying properties. ACS Nano, 3, 603 - 608.
Barsbay, M. & Güven, O. (2014). Grafting in confined spaces: Functionalization of nanochannels of track-etched membranes. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 105, 26 - 30.
Creppy, E. E. (2002). Update of survey, regulation and toxic effects of mycotoxins in Europe. Toxicology Letters, 127, 19 - 28.
Fernández, H., Arévalo, F. J., Granero, A. M., Robledo, S. N., Nieto, C. H. D., Riberi, W. I. & Zon, M. A. (2017). Electrochemical Biosensors for the Determination of Toxic Substances Related to Food Safety Developed in South America: Mycotoxins and Herbicides. Chemosensors, 5, 23.
Guan, S., Gong, M., Yin, Y., Huang, R., Ruan, Z., Zhou, T. & Xie, M.Y. (2011). Occurrence of mycotoxins in feeds and feed ingredients in China. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment, 9(2), 163 - 167.
Haque, F., Li, J., Wu, H.C., Liang, X. J. & Guo, P. (2013). Solid-state and biological nanopore for real-time sensing of single chemical and sequencing of DNA. Nano Today, 8, 56 - 74.
Jallow, A., Xie, H., Tang, X., Qi, Z. & Li, P. (2021). Worldwide aflatoxin contamination of agricultural products and foods: From occurrence to control. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20, 2332 - 2381.
Jiang, M., Braiek, M., Florea, A., Chrouda, A., Farre, C., Bonhomme, A., Bessueille, F., Vocanson, F., Zhang, A. & Jaffrezic-Renault, N. (2015). Aflatoxin B1 Detection Using a Highly-Sensitive Molecularly-Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor Based on an Electropolymerized Metal Organic Framework. Toxins (Basel), 7(9), 3540 - 3553.
Marchese, S. Polo, A., Ariano, A., Velotto, S., Costantini, S. & Severino, L. (2018). Aflatoxin B1 and M1: Biological Properties and Their Involvement in Cancer Development. Toxins, 10, 214.
Pascale, M. & Visconti, A. (2008). Overview of Detection Methods for Mycotoxins. In Mycotoxins: Detection Methods, Management (Leslie, J. F., Bandyopadhyay, R., Visconti, A., eds). Public Health and Agricultural Trade, CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK, 171 - 183.
Rovina, K., Shaeera, S. N., Vonnie, J. M. & Yi, S. X. (2019). Recent Biosensors Technologies for Detection of Mycotoxin in Food Products. Mycotoxins and Food Safety. IntgechOpen limited, London, UK.
Santos, A. O., Vaz, A., Rodrigues, P., Veloso, A. C. A. Venâncio, A. & Peres, A. M. (2019). Thin Films Sensor Devices for Mycotoxins Detection in Foods: Applications and Challenges. Chemosensors, 7, 3.
Savariar, E. N., Krishnamoorthy, K. & Thayumanavan, S. (2008). Molecular discrimination inside polymer nanopores. Nat. Nanotechnology, 3, 112 - 117.
Sergeyeva, T., Yarynka, D., Piletska, E., Lynnik, R., Zaporozhets, O., Brovko, O., Piletsky, S. & El'skaya, A. (2017). Fluorescent sensor systems based on nanostructured polymeric membranes for selective recognition of Aflatoxin B1. Talanta, 175, 101 - 107.
Sertova, N., Toulemonde, M. & Hegmann, T. (2006). Towards Recyclable Nanoporous Polymer Membranes for the Synthesis of One-dimensional Nanoscale Gold Colloids. Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials, 16, 91 - 96.
Silva, A .A. R. D., Silva Júnior, J. J. D., Cavalcanti, M. I. D. S., Machado, D. C., Medeiros, P. L. & Rodrigues, C. G. (2023). Alphatoxin Nanopore Detection of Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin and Fumonisin in Aqueous Solution. Toxins (Basel), 15(3), 183.
Toyos-Rodríguez, C., Valero-Calvo, D., Iglesias-Mayor, A. & De la Escosura-Muñiz, A. (2024). Effect of nanoporous membranes thickness in electrochemical biosensing performance: application for the detection of a wound infection biomarker. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 12, 1310084.
Xue, L., Yamazaki, H., Ren, R., Wanunu, M., Ivanov, A. P. & Edel, J. B. (2020). Solid-state nanopore sensors. Nature Reviews Materials, 5, 931 - 951. |
|
| Date published: 2026-04-29
Download full text 
