Recent development of electrochemical and optical aptasensors for detection of antibiotics in food monitoring applications

The technological revolution in the field of agriculture and food has led to the production of genetically modified crops, which are high yield as well as less susceptible to pest and weather conditions. Despite this progress, the sector is still plagued with several safety issues; those that are hazardous include allergens, toxins, beta-agonists, and antibiotics. Recently, antibiotic residues have received attention due to their widespread use. Excessive use of chemicals can cause organisms to develop resistance to the drug’s effects. Therefore, there is a need to develop an approach that can be used to detect these chemicals. Aptamers have emerged as biorecognition molecules that can bind to targets with high affinity and specificity. Thus, scientists have developed aptamer-based biosensors, also known as aptasensors, which can be used to detect various antibiotic residues. In this review, we discuss some of the principles and applications of aptasensors for the detection of antibiotics in food, including electrochemical and optical aptasensors.