Perspectives of Nano-Materials and Nanobiosensors in Food Safety and Agriculture

Abstract

Nanobiosensor is one type of biosensor made up with usage of nanomaterials i.e., nanoparticles and nanostructures. Because of the nanomaterials’ unique properties such as good conductivity, and physicochemical, electrochemical, optical, magnetic and mechanical properties, Nanobiosensors are highly reliable and more sensitive in biosensing approaches over conventional sensors which is having various limitation in detection. Quantum dots, nanotubes, nanowires, magnetic and other nanoparticles enhance sensitivity and lower limit of detection by amplifying signals and providing novel signal transduction mechanisms enable detection of a very low level of food contaminants, pesticides, foodborne pathogens, toxins and plant metabolites. Nanobiosensors are having a lot of scope in sustainable agriculture because of its detecting ability i.e., sensing changes occurred in molecular level. So it can be utilized to find out the variations or modification of plant metabolities, volatiles, gas exchange, hormonal and ion concentration etc. which are the indicators of various harsh environmental stresses (abiotic), biotic and physiological stress. Identification of the stress in the starting stage itself will help us to avoid intensive plant damage and prevent yield losses created by the stress. Nanosensors can be used in smart farming, in which all the environmental factors related to plant growth like temperature, water, pH, humidity, nutritional factor etc. are measured and precaution taken to control the factors which reduce the crop production with the help of IOT platform, thereby enhance the productivity. In this review, discussed about nanobiosensors for detection of food contaminants and various application and its potential in agriculture.

Detection of Phytopathogens in Agricultural Crops Using Nanodiagnostic Techniques

“…Toxins, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other bio dangerous substances are some examples of the pollutants that have already been identified and measured using this equipment in the food and agricultural industries. As a result, these nanosensors might have a big impact on precision agricultural methods [34]. Early on-site diagnosis of cultivar diseases using portable nano biosensors can also result from the study of disease epidemiology and the creation of ailmentprevention techniques.…”

“…While data-based biological sensors have certainly grown in importance, there are now fewer opportunities for research. An adequate campaign is expected to motivate scientists to refocus their attention on botanical pathogen evaluation and other abnormalities facets employing nanobiosensors due to the importance of plant infectious agent evaluation, the current state of nanobiosensors, and additionally the drawbacks of presently accessible assessment approaches and progressed nanomaterials [34].…”

Modern analytical and bioanalytical technologies and concepts for smart and precision farming

“…The emergence of nanomaterials is beneficial in developing agricultural biosensors by overcoming the short-lifetime issue and enhancing sensitivity. 66 AuNPs, graphene oxide, and carbon nanotubes are commonly used nanomaterials with superior electrical conductivity, a large surface area, and good optical properties. 67 Other than that, the potential of other advanced materials is also exploited.…”

Potential of nanobiosensor in sustainable agriculture: the state-of-art

“…Several devastating events were related to heavy metal poisoning including the Minamata disease in Japan in 1956, the Itai-Itai disease in Japan in 1960, etc ( Harada 1995 ; Nishijo et al., 2017 ). The presence of heavy metal ions induces oxidative stress in plants ( Mathivanan 2021 ). Therefore, it is essential to detect the presence of heavy metals in the environmental sample.…”

“…In the agricultural sector, these portable easy to use devices has tremendous potential and have been used to on-site monitor the soil and plant physiological conditions such as soil fertility, pH, moisture content, mineral concentrations, level of toxic chemicals, prior detection of pests, and pathogens ( Nadporozhskaya et al., 2022 ; Sharma et al., 2021 ). Nanobiosensors possess abundant scope in sustainable farming practices due to their sensing ability with a low limit of detections ( Mathivanan et al., 2021 ; Sharma et al., 2021 ).…”