RELEVANCE OF NANOMATERIALS-BASED BIOSENSORS FOR DETECTION OF PATHOGENS IN FOODS.

Processed food industry is growing with leap and bounds but at the same time contamination of food products has become a major global problem and serious health hazards. The problem of food contamination is growing with rapid speed. Scientists and researchers are doing their best to address the challenges of this problem. Every year, consumers are exposed to harmful bacteria found in the food they eat. Moreover, a large number of food products particularly processed ones are being more prone to contamination due to chemicals and pathogens. Technology is also constantly improving for addressing the problem of food contamination; yet, food contamination still remains a big problem. A number of conventional techniques have been used but they do not satisfy the scientific communities due to several disadvantages. Hence, it necessitates looking for better alternative techniques which are simple, effective, sensitive and reliable for detecting the pathogens in food. Biosensors based on nanomaterials have offered these fascinating properties and have been used for sensing foodborne pathogens. The present review article discusses the various biosensing methods useful for detection of pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]