Advanced allergen quantification beyond ELISA and qPCR: An Integrated Electrochemical Aptasensor and Digital PCR Approach

This presentation reviews advanced methodologies for food allergen surveillance, addressing the limitations of conventional ELISA and qPCR regarding epitope degradation and matrix inhibition. It highlights the integration of a portable electrochemical aptasensor (SPE/AuNP/truncated aptamer) for rapid point-of-care screening and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) for absolute, calibration-free DNA quantification aligned with VITAL 3.0 thresholds. We express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung (Head of Biological Testing Laboratory, NAFI4) for his valuable guidance, technical discussions, and insightful feedback throughout the preparation of this topic. We also gratefully acknowledge the original authors and research teams whose pioneering published works formed the theoretical and methodological basis of this presentation, notably: Kırlak Kara et al. (2026) for the truncated aptamer-based electrochemical sensor design (Microchimica Acta). Tran et al. (2013) for the Ara h 1 aptamer selection and characterization (Biosensors and Bioelectronics). He et al. (2026) and Hindson et al. (2011) for droplet digital PCR metrological frameworks and workflows. Voorhuijzen-Harink et al. (2024) and Demeke (2025) for data and discussions on allergen quantification and VITAL 3.0 reference doses.