Advanced Biosensors and Chemosensors toward Mycotoxins Analysis for Food Safety

Food safety has become a critical global concern due to its significant impact on economic stability, human health, and overall quality of life. Among the various threats to food safety, mycotoxins are one of the most prevalent and hazardous contaminants. These toxic secondary metabolites, produced by fungi, are commonly found in a wide range of foods such as cereals, maize, vegetables, fruits, milk, peanuts, oils, and processed products. Mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and T-2 toxin, are notorious for their carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic, teratogenic, and immunosuppressive properties. Consequently, they pose a severe threat to human health. Regulatory agencies around the word, such as the European Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have established stringent maximum residue levels (MRLs) for mycotoxins in food. Despite the availability of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA) for detection, these methods are often limited by their complexity, cost, and lack of rapid point-of-care capabilities. This has led to an urgent need for the development of advanced biosensors and chemosensors that offer more efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly approaches to mycotoxin detection.

This research topic aims to explore the development and application of advanced biosensors and chemosensors for the detection and control of mycotoxins in various foods. The primary objective is to address the limitations of current detection methods by focusing on innovative sensing strategies that offer rapid, accurate, and sensitive detection of mycotoxins at trace levels. The research will investigate the underlying theories, mechanisms, and design principles of biosensing and chemosensing technologies, with a particular emphasis on their potential for commercialization and practical application in food safety monitoring.

To gather further insights into the development of advanced biosensors and chemosensors for mycotoxin detection, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Aptamer screening and characterization
- Aptamer-based extraction and enrichment
- Immunosensors and aptasensors
- Optical biosensors and chemosensors
- Electrochemical biosensors and chemosensors
- Nanomaterials-based biosensors and chemosensors
- Nanosensors, enzyme sensors, microfluidic chips, lab-on-a-chip, handheld meters, smartphone detection, wearable point-of-care testing, miniaturized devices, integrated and incorporated devices
- Other recent research advances in mycotoxin-related sensing applications

The work described should be innovative in both mechanisms and methods, with significant implications for the scientific community and the food industry. Contributions that do not meet these criteria will not be considered for review and publication.