Biosensors for Food Analysis: Development and Applications

Abstract: Reliable analytical methods are increasingly needed in the food and beverage industry for the determination of specific components (e.g. sugars, proteins, vitamins, fats) and for detecting and quantifying chemical contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, antibiotics, and pathogenic microorganisms. The need arises from numerous regulatory actions and increased consumer concern about food composition and safety. The producers conventionally utilize analytical techniques such as spectrophotometry and chromatography, which do not always allow easy and continuous monitoring, are rather expensive, need well trained operators and often require sample pre-treatment steps, resulting in increased time and low cost-effectiveness of the analysis. Biosensors offer a promising alternative to the classical analytical methods. Besides their good selectivity and low cost, they can easily be integrated in automation schemes and used to develop simple and even portable equipment, allowing fast in-situ monitoring of raw materials and food processing steps.The aim of this thesis is to review the current situation and future possibilities for the development and applications of biosensors in the food and beverage industry. Focus is placed on particular aspects related to elucidation of the working mechanisms of biosensing systems, optimisation of operating parameters, miniaturization, automation, and determination of food constituents in real samples.