Perspectives for Recognition and Rapid Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria Based on Electrochemical Sensors

Abstract

Due to the misuse of pathogen-infected food, human beings continue to face serious diseases and even deaths. Thus, researchers from all walks of life concern on prevention, detection, and resistance for pathogenic bacteria. It is necessary to develop and explore a fast, cost-effective, portable, and efficient detection technology for pathogens. Recently, electrochemical sensors have been widely used for food safety analysis, due to their increasingly high sensitivity and selectivity. In particular, researchers have made significant breakthroughs on signal enhancement strategies, quantitative methods, and miniaturization of the instrument, which can be used as a reference to food safety analysis. Moreover, a device integrating facile working procedures, miniaturization, and automation must be indispensable. In order to meet the needs of People’s Daily life, household device and point-of-care (POC) testing need to be combined with electrochemical sensing technology. In this review, the state of the art in electrochemical sensing for recognition and rapid detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria is summarized from perspectives of common foodborne pathogens, especially focusing on real-time monitoring, lab-on-a-chip, and photoelectrochemical platform applied in food and medical treatment fields. Furthermore, the limitations and prospects of recognition elements, active nanomaterials, and optical materials, that are essential components in sensing systems on future research directions, were evaluated.

Keywords

• Food safety
• foodborne pathogenic bacteria
• recognition
• rapid detection
• electrochemical sensor
• signal amplification