An Electrochemical Aptamer Sensor with ZIF-8 Loaded CuNPs Composites for Aflatoxin B₁ Determination

An electrochemical aptamer sensor for the sensitive detection of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) in corn samples was developed using nanocomposites loaded with copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which were modified on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The CuNPs@ZIF-8 nanocomposites served as modifying materials for electrodes, exhibiting a high specific surface area and excellent compatibility with aptamers, thereby enhancing the electron transfer rate and increasing the aptamer loading and immobilization efficiency. The electrochemical properties before and after modification were investigated and validated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, while the sensor’s performance was analyzed through quantitative detection via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Furthermore, various conditions, including the volume of ZIF-8 dispersion, electrodeposition time of copper nanoparticles, aptamer concentration, and AFB₁ incubation time, were optimized. The results indicated that the sensor exhibited a wide linear range (10.0 to 1.0 × 10⁶ pg/mL), with a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 1.13 pg/mL under optimized conditions, outperforming other reported aptamer sensors. The spiked recoveries in corn samples ranged from 96.663% to 105.72%. In conclusion, this sensor presents a novel solution for low-cost and high-sensitivity detection of AFB₁.