A critical review of molecularly imprinted polymer technology for aflatoxin sensing: Current status and future directions

Since the first discovery and identification of aflatoxins almost 70 years ago, their occurrence, potential risks, and health hazards remain of great importance. Therefore, several chromatography-, colorimetry-, and immunoassay-based analytical applications for aflatoxin detection are reported in the literature. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted considerable interest in sensor design due to their unique potential as synthetic recognition elements, providing high selectivity and excellent stability. These features help overcome the disadvantages of conventional sensing systems. The ongoing advancement of MIP-based sensors presents new opportunities for future applications and offers a reliable and versatile approach to meet the growing demands of current analytical research. This review focuses on studies published since 2023 concerning the detection of aflatoxins using MIP-based sensors, which hold a prominent and critical position in the literature. Additionally, this review addresses several limitations of MIP-based sensors, particularly in the context of aflatoxin detection, and discusses proposed solutions to overcome these challenges. Lastly, current advancements and future expectations in the topic are also highlighted.