Use of Nanomaterials in the Detection of Food Contaminants
Sachin K Sonawane
Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, NM Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai- 400 019, India.
Shalini S. Arya *
Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, NM Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai- 400 019, India.
Jean Guy LeBlanc
Reference Center for Lactobacilli (CERELA-CONICET), San Miguel de Tucuman, T4000ILC, Argentina.
Neetu Jha
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, NM Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai- 400 019, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Food safety plays an important role in public health and thus to society as a whole. Food borne illness associated with toxins, pathogens or other food contaminants poses a serious health threat all over the world. Food may become unsafe due to the presence of adulterants such as melamine, food born pathogenic bacteria, toxins such as cholera, shiga, aflatoxin amongst others. The present review is focused on the potential role of nanomaterials, which are currently being used in various biosensors, for the detection of various chemical contaminants, toxins and pathogens.
Keywords: Novel nanomaterials, nano sensors, biosensors, food safety.