Functionalized Inorganic Nanoparticles for the Detection of Food and Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens

Abstract

Infections acquired from ingesting contaminated food and water poses an adverse effect on public health and safety, thus affecting nations' economy. Technical approaches developed over years have contributed adequately to microbial detection in food and water, yet, unveiling spaces for more improvement on early and rapid detection of pathogens. This review highlights different strategy assessing bio-functionalized inorganic nanoparticles towards the detection of pathogens in food and water samples. Conjugates of several bio-receptors and inorganic nanoparticles showed rapid, real-time, repeatability, and appreciable limit of detection in targeted pathogens. A patent referenced in this study established the biocompatibility of bio-functionalized inorganic nanoparticles mechanism. Unique attributes exhibited by bio-functionalized inorganic nanoparticles showed potential and improvement of the existing bio-sensing pathogen detection methods. Each of the identified strategies described showed a promising pathway accommodating the development of simple, and even the fabrication of low-cost materials for easy detection of bacterial pathogens in food and water products.

Affinity capture of escherichia coli pathotypes using poly-L-lysine functionalized silver nanoparticles

“…Recent advances in colorimetric and plasmonic sensing of food and waterborne pathogens have been achieved due to the incorporation of the nanotechnology approach into biosensors [18]. This technique demonstrates the importance of visual colour change as a robust tool for the detection of food and waterborne pathogens in a fast manner [19]. For example, Wu et al devised aptamer-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and assessed the conjugate for colorimetric and plasmonic detection of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 [20].…”