Biosensors and their Applications for Ensuring Food Safety

Abstract

The development of biosensors for food safety applications has been an area of tremendous activity in recent years. Food safety is of great concern for many countries, e.g. the European Commission has identified it as a priority area of attention. The Commission has formulated a new food policy to ensure human health and protect Consumer health. Testing and identifying foods/products that are unsafe is the first step for ensuring food safety. Nanotechnological approaches have revolutionized the area of analytical food testing particularly pathogen detection in food. Novel detection systems and matrices have made it possible to detect picogram to femtogram levels of pesticide residues, toxins, antibiotics, food residues and pathogens. The increasing use of sensors in medical, food and environment can save lives and help in gaining confidence of the consumer in the food supply chain. It can shorten analyses time, making the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective. This review will focus on the exciting developments in biosensors and their role in ensuring Food Safety.