Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
18
Optical Biosensors in Foodborne Pathogen Detection
Tao Geng and Arun K. Bhunia
CONTENTS
18.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................505
18.2 Foodborne Pathogens ....................................................................................................506
18.3 Detection of Foodborne Pathogens Using Optical Biosensors ................................507
18.3.1 Surface Plasmon Resonance ..........................................................................507
18.3.2 Resonant Mirror ..............................................................................................509
18.3.3 Fiber-Optic Biosensor ......................................................................................510
18.3.4 Array Biosensor ..............................................................................................510
18.3.5 Raman Spectroscopy ......................................................................................512
18.3.6 Light-Addressable Potentiometric Sensor ..................................................513
18.4 Concluding Remarks ....................................................................................................514
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................515
References ....................................................................................................................................515
18.1
Introduction
Food safety is a major concern to consumers as well as to the producers and processors
alike. Increasing illnesses and fatalities due to foodborne pathogen outbreaks demand
rapid analysis of products for contaminants. Contamination of food also incites product
recalls bringing inevitable economic disasters to food manufacturers. In recent years, how-
ever, global political instability has also raised serious concerns about potential food
bioterrorism. Detection tools are an essential component of food safety and control of food
bioterrorism. Government and industrial agencies recognize the need for sensitive and
low-cost detection tools. Biosensor technology offers the best solutions because of its ultra-
sensitivity and potential for automation and online use; however, the specificity and cost
must be addressed as we continue to develop sensors for specific applications. Often sen-
sor developments are dictated by the relative significance of the agent, numbers of fatali-
ties, or associated economic losses. Broadly, sensors can be grouped as electrochemical
(impedance-based, amperometric), optical (fiber optic, surface plasmon resonance (SPR)),
thermometric (thermister, pyroelectric), and mass-based (piezoelectric, surface acoustic).
Optical sensors appear to be the most appealing because of their sensitivity, available
instrumentation, and relative ease of data interpretation. Applications of some optical
sensors for detection of foodborne pathogens including
Salmonella
,
Escherichia coli
505
