Screening and Identification of Specific Aptamers for Shellfish Allergen Tropomyosin with Capillary Electrophoresis-SELEX

Aptamer Screening: Current Methods and Future Trend towards Non-SELEX Approach

Aptamers are nucleic acid sequences that specifically bind with target molecules and are vital to applications such as biosensing, drug development, disease diagnostics, etc. The traditional selection procedure of aptamers is based on the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by an Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process, which relies on repeating cycles of screening and amplification. With the rapid development of aptamer applications, RNA and XNA aptamers draw more attention than before. But their selection is troublesome due to the necessary reverse transcription and transcription process (RNA) or low efficiency and accuracy of enzymes for amplification (XNA). In light of this, we review the recent advances in aptamer selection methods and give an outlook on future development in a non-SELEX approach, which simplifies the procedure and reduces the experimental costs. We first provide an overview of the traditional SELEX methods mostly designed for screening DNA aptamers to introduce the common tools and methods. Then a section on the current screening methods for RNA and XNA is prepared to demonstrate the efforts put into screening these aptamers and the current difficulties. We further predict that the future trend of aptamer selection lies in non-SELEX methods that do not require nucleic acid amplification. We divide non-SELEX methods into an immobilized format and non-immobilized format and discuss how high-resolution partitioning methods could facilitate the further improvement of selection efficiency and accuracy.

Capillary electromigration methods for food analysis and Foodomics: Advances and applications in the period March 2021 to March 2023

This work presents a revision of the main applications of capillary electromigration (CE) methods in food analysis and Foodomics. Papers that were published during the period March 2021 to March 2023 are included. The work shows the multiple CE methods that have been developed and applied to analyze different types of molecules in foods and beverages. Namely, CE methods have been applied to analyze amino acids, biogenic amines, heterocyclic amines, peptides, proteins, phenols, polyphenols, pigments, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, DNAs, contaminants, toxins, pesticides, additives, residues, small organic and inorganic compounds, and other minor compounds. In addition, new CE procedures to perform chiral separation and for evaluating the effects of food processing as well as the last developments of microchip CE and new applications in Foodomics will be also discussed. The new procedures of CE to investigate food quality and safety, nutritional value, storage, and bioactivity are also included in the present review work.

Nanomaterial-Based Fluorescent Biosensor for Food Safety Analysis

Food safety issues have become a major threat to public health and have garnered considerable attention. Rapid and effective detection methods are crucial for ensuring food safety. Recently, nanostructured fluorescent materials have shown considerable potential for monitoring the quality and safety of food because of their fascinating optical characteristics at the nanoscale. In this review, we first introduce biomaterials and nanomaterials for food safety analysis. Subsequently, we perform a comprehensive analysis of food safety using fluorescent biosensors based on nanomaterials, including mycotoxins, heavy metals, antibiotics, pesticide residues, foodborne pathogens, and illegal additives. Finally, we provide new insights and discuss future approaches for the development of food safety detection, with the aim of improving fluorescence detection methods for the practical application of nanomaterials to ensure food safety and protect human health.