Aflatoxin B1 detected by Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Developing physical methods to detect aflatoxin is a significant area of research in food safety. Because the current detection methods that use near-infrared spectroscopy are not sufficiently accurate, we focus here on using terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to detect aflatoxin B1. We first studied the process of extraction and conservation of aflatoxin B1 from corn. Next, according to the refractive index and absorption coefficient in different frequency ranges, a qualitative analysis was performed, and then D-S evidence theory was used to do a quantitative analysis. Experiments and analysis show that THz spectroscopy combined with information-fusion technology can identify the concentration of aflatoxin B1. The proposed method may provide the basis for rapid detection of aflatoxin in food.