Aflatoxins are a kind of mycotoxins that are mostly produced by a group of molds such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The studies on different parts of Iran showed that AFM 1 infection of milk is higher than European Union's standard. In this study, the specific aptamer with the carboxylic group at the end of 5′ and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with amine groups was synthesized. Morphological and structural qualities of Fe 3 O 4 were determined by the Fourier-transform infrared spectrograph (FTIR), dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction devices. The specificity of the aptamer to AFM 1 was investigated in adjacent of AFM 1 and aflatoxin B 1 . Then, aptamers were attached to nanoparticles to improve synthetic qualities and to ease of its detachment. The attachment was approved by FTIR method. The complex (Fe 3 O 4 -APT) was then added to infected milk and after the proper time was detached from the milk using a magnet. The remained amount of AFM 1 was attained in milk using high-performance liquid chromatography. Our result showed that this method for aflatoxin detoxification is much more effective than conventional methods based on recognition of AFM 1 and their concentration in infected milk. This method is more applicable, faster, and cheaper highlighting its application in milk factories.
Graphical abstractKeywords Aflatoxin · Aptamer · Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle · Detoxification · Mycotoxin