Graphene-Based Sensors for the Detection of Microorganisms in Food: A Review

Abstract

There is a constant need to maintain the quality of consumed food. In retrospect to the recent pandemic and other food-related problems, scientists have focused on the numbers of microorganisms that are present in different food items. As a result of changes in certain environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, there is a constant risk for the growth of harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, in consumed food. This questions the edibility of the food items, and constant monitoring to avoid food poisoning-related diseases is required. Among the different nanomaterials used to develop sensors to detect microorganisms, graphene has been one of the primary materials due to its exceptional electromechanical properties. Graphene sensors are able to detect microorganisms in both a composite and non-composite manner, due to their excellent electrochemical characteristics such as their high aspect ratios, excellent charge transfer capacity and high electron mobility. The paper depicts the fabrication of some of these graphene-based sensors, and their utilization to detect bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms that are present in very small amounts in different food items. In addition to the classified manner of the graphene-based sensors, this paper also depicts some of the challenges that exist in current scenarios, and their possible remedies.

Recent advances in biological molecule detection based on a three-dimensional graphene structure

“…In recent years, graphene-based composite materials have been used for the detection of edible bacteria, and their accuracy has also reached a certain standard. 135 Typically, composite materials based on 3D graphene structures have excellent electrochemical performance. They enhance the binding of specific antigen antibodies on the bacterial surface of cultivated special colonies, as well as the binding of oxygen-containing functional groups to oxygen-containing groups.…”