Aptamer-based rapid visual biosensing of melamine in whole milk.

A rapid and facile visual method for the detection of melamine (MA) in whole milk based on aptamer-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was described in this paper. This strategy combined aptamer as a MA recognition element with AuNPs as the color indicator, providing a rapid and on-site detection of MA by naked eyes or UV-Vis spectrometer. The whole analytical process could finish in 30 min without any assistance of any instrument. Under the optimized condition, the proposed method could be used to detect MA in whole milk with a detection limit of 1.5 mg/L in naked eyes and 0.5 mg/L with UV-Vis spectrometer. The simple rapid technique provided a promising tool for on-site screening of MA adulterant in milk as well as in-house diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]