Ochratoxin A detection in coffee by competitive inhibition assay using chitosan-based surface plasmon resonance compact system

This study demonstrates the evaluation of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee on compact surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors based on crosslinked chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan nanomatrix substrates. Ochratoxin A is a toxic secondary metabolite widely produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi and requires regular quantification and detection in food samples. The gold coated SPR chips were synthesized with chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan through spin coating technique. The SPR nanomatrix chips were used for the immobilization of ochratoxin A-bovine serum albumin (OTA-BSA) conjugate to develop a competitive inhibition immunoassay. The monoclonal ochratoxin A antibodies (mAb-OTA) were used as biological receptors for the detection of OTA in buffer and coffee samples. The limit of detection (LOD) in coffee for chitosan (CS) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) substrates was 5.7 ng/mL and 3.8 ng/mL, respectively. Compact surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system based on chitosan-based (CS-AU) nanomatrix substrates provides a platform for the detection of ochratoxin A with high sensitivity, accuracy, ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness. This compact SPR system can be used at farm and industrial levels for the detection of OTA in food matrices.