Chapter 9 - Surface plasmon biosensing for the detection of food-borne pathogens

Abstract

Food-borne pathogens are the primary concern in the food processing sector, and developing rapid detection and characterization technologies is crucial for consumer safety. Existing pathogen detection techniques are culture-based methods, immunoassays (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods, and markers. These techniques are time-consuming compared to PCR, immunoassay, and biosensors. Biosensors fulfill the demand for automatic, fast sensing, nondestructive, and lower-cost detection in food analysis. Electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, and mass sensors are widely used in pathogenic bacteria detection. Plasmonic technology is known for its versatility and has a wider application in food analysis, such as the detection of adulterants, antibiotics, biomolecules, genetically modified foods, pesticides, herbicides, microorganisms, and toxins. Other advantages include ease of setup, lower cost, and less skill for working and data gathering than traditional methods, as well as its application in combination with other techniques such as mass spectroscopy, PCR, SELEX, and electrochemistry. This chapter provides knowledge on the types of surface plasmon biosensing techniques and their application in the detection of food-borne pathogens.