Screening, identification, and application of aptamers against allergens in food matrices

Food allergies have become one of the most pressing issues in food safety and public health globally along with their incidence increasing in recent years. The reliable recognition of allergens from different sources, especially food-hidden allergens, is essential for preventing and controlling food allergies. Recently, aptamers, as emerging recognition elements, have gained considerable attention in food allergy, especially in the detection of food allergens. This review systematically summarizes the latest progress in screening, identification, and application of aptamers against food allergens over the past five years. We first introduce a brief overview of food allergy and aptamers, followed by a detailed focus on the aptamers' research against different food allergens broadly based on the major categories of the Big-8 allergens: highlighting the newly screened aptamers and their applied systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) strategies, and emphasizing their practical applications including aptasensors, allergy inhibitors, or affinity adsorptions. Finally, the remaining challenges and future exploitations faced by aptamers in food allergens are comprehensively discussed and depicted. This review holds the promise of inspiring a broader range of researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of food allergy assisted by aptamer recognition and to facilitate improved biochemical analyses and successful application.