Purpose of review: Th is review examines the current and future poten tial applications of biosensor-based technolog ies in the postharvest analysis of fruit, vegetables and o ther crops. The basic format of sensors is summarised and k ey elements in their generation highlighted. Difficulties w ith current sensor formats are described and approaches to im prove their utility are outli ned. Examples of the applications of sensors, pa rticularly surface pl asmon resonanceb ased systems, are given to demonstrate the current and future potential of the technology to overcome problems a ssociated with analytical approaches presently used. L imitations: The review is limited by the relatively small number of papers available related to applications. However , there are clear opportunities available and significant research is beginning to concentrate on key issues and a lready there is clear demonstration of potential. D irections for future research: Fu ture developments of miniaturised senso rs for the performance of multi-analyte, r eal-time detection e.g. biochips and arrays, using high-t hroughput systems linked to automatic responses, independe nt of an operator, with wireless control, are discussed. Ke ywords: b iosensors; quality control; analysis; contaminants; biochips; arrays