Colorimetric-based Sensing in Food Safety and Quality Analysis

Abstract

The screening of biological contaminants, chemical hazards and allergens in food products is critical to understanding the potential negative effects on human health. Intensive research has been conducted to develop various detection methods to monitor food safety and quality. However, most of these developed methods are costly and require supporting equipment and professional skills to perform the testing. Therefore, there is high demand to develop alternative and innovative methods that are affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free and deliverable to fulfil the “ASSURED” criteria set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Colorimetric analysis can identify and determine the content of chemical elements/compounds in sample solutions by using various color reagents. This method has been used to detect and quantify specific pathogens, chemicals and hazards in foods for safety and quality control, which are suitable for use in laboratories and field studies. This chapter summarizes the recent advances in colorimetric analysis for assessing food safety and quality assurance, such as colorimetric detection of pathogens, toxins, parasites, antibiotic residues and chemical hazards in agri-food products. This chapter also conveys the current technical limitations and strategic research of colorimetric analysis required to further improve the performance of analytical assays in sensing food safety and quality control.