BACKGROUND: A simple and rapid detection method for 17⊎-estradiol (E 2 ) in complex food matrix is greatly desirable. A magnetic relaxation switch (MRS) sensor for detecting E 2 based on the aptamer-functionalized gold-coated iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 @Au) nanocomposite was designed in this study. Fe 3 O 4 @Au nanoparticles (NPs) played as a 'switch' between dispersed and aggregated states, while aptamer served as the recognition unit.RESULTS: According to the sensing effect of monocomponent relaxation time (T 2W ) for E 2 , the volume ratio of aptamers to Fe 3 O 4 @Au, the sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration, the concentration of Fe 3 O 4 @Au@Apt, and reaction time were optimized to be 4:1, 0.03 mol L -1 , 4 ∼mol L -1 and 15 min, respectively. For the analysis of food sample, the E 2 was quantified over a concentration range of 1 to 100 nmol L -1 with a detection limit of 7.6 nmol L -1 for milk samples, while a linearity range of 20 to 100 nmol L -1 and a detection limit of 8.57 nmol L -1 for egg samples.CONCLUSION: These results exhibited that the MRS sensor could be a promising platform for the rapid detecting of E 2 in food sample.