Recent advances in photoelectrochemical biosensors for analysis of mycotoxins in food

Mycotoxins, highly toxic secondary metabolites of fungus, have brought considerable threats to human health. It is of great significance to develop low-cost, rapid and efficient analytical methods for monitoring mycotoxins in foodstuffs. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors have been promising tools for mycotoxin detection thanks to their superior properties. Photoactive materials play important roles in the biosensing systems as transducer converting chemical information into detectable PEC signal. Signal strategies based on specific recognition elements also affects a lot on the analytical performance of PEC biosensors. This paper provides a comprehensive review on photoactive materials and signal strategies used in the PEC biosensors for mycotoxin monitoring. The future prospects in this field are also discussed.