T-2 mycotoxin: From occurrence and toxicokinetics to recent advances in aptasensor-based detection strategies and future perspectives for enhanced food safety

Background: Mycotoxins, particularly T-2, pose significant food safety risks, leading to agricultural losses and economic challenges. The growing prevalence of T-2, coupled with the lack of legal maximum limits in many countries, has weakened food safety surveillance and monitoring systems. This necessitates updated assessments of T-2 prevalence, regulatory frameworks, and advancements in detection methods. Aptasensors have emerged as a promising solution, offering cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive detection while addressing the limitations of traditional methods, thereby enhancing food safety monitoring. Scope and approach: This review presents a comprehensive analysis of T-2 toxin prevalence, toxicokinetics, limitations of conventional detection methods, and recent advancements in aptasensors tailored for T-2 detection over the past five years. Detection principles and signal amplification strategies of various aptasensing methodologies—such as colorimetric, fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), chemiluminescence, and electrochemical aptasensors—are systematically analyzed. Additionally, technical challenges, including aptamer stability, signal transduction, and matrix interference, are discussed. Future directions in aptamer modification, hybrid nanomaterial synthesis, and novel signal amplification and multiplexing techniques are highlighted. Key findings and conclusions: Aptasensing strategies such as colorimetric, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and electrochemical methods leverage distinct mechanisms like visual detection, light emission, enzyme catalysis, and electrical signal changes, offering superior sensitivity for trace-level T-2 detection compared to traditional methods. Innovations in sensor design, nanomaterial integration, and aptamer refinement enable aptasensors to provide portable, real-time T-2 monitoring, with potential to strengthen regulatory standards, promote interdisciplinary research, and advance biosensor technology.