Name | Ms. Blanch Khouri Sader |
---|---|
Organization or Institution | University of Florida |
Topic | PMSE/POLY |
Title | Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Detection of Aflatoxin |
Author(s) | Blanch Khouri Sader, Emmanuelle Schué , Brent S. Sumerlin |
Author Institution(s) | University of Florida |
Abstract | Aflatoxin, a carcinogenic compound, is present in food sources and poses a threat to agricultural, livestock, and human health. This work utilizes molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to selectively bind to aflatoxin for efficient detection of infected crops. MIPs are polymer matrices that have an artificial recognition site that is complementary to the size, shape, and spatial arrangement of a template molecule introduced during polymerization. Upon template removal, MIPs have cavities with high affinity and selectivity towards the template molecule. Non-Imprinted Polymers (NIPs) are the control versions of MIPs, as they are synthesized in the same manner, but in the absence of the template molecule during polymerization, thus making them less selective towards the template molecule allowing them to aid in analyzing the |