Polydiacetylene as a Biosensor: Fundamentals and Applications in the Food Industry

Abstract

Biosensors offer the potential for real-time pathogen detection. Polydiacetylene (PDA) is an ideal choice for use as a sensor due to its unique optical properties. PDA molecules can form thin films or vesicles that change color from deep blue to red in response to different stimuli, like temperature, pH, and the presence of biological molecules. PDA films and vesicles have been proven to be promising devices for the detection of bacteria and bacterial toxins. Langmuir troughs (for films) and microcalorimetry (for vesicles) are among the many techniques used to characterize PDA films and vesicles. In order to enable more applications of PDA films, it is imperative to elucidate and gain a deeper understanding of the molecular interactions associated with their color change. In addition, it is necessary to transfer the PDA film onto a solid support like plastic in order to incorporate PDA biosensors into an intelligent packaging system. Through the use of such a system, consumers can monitor food quality, thereby preventing foodborne outbreaks. In this review, we discuss the formation of PDA films and vesicles, their characteristics, and their potential applications as biosensors. The possibility to incorporate PDA biosensors into an intelligent packaging system to be used in the food industry is also explored.

Control of Microbial Adhesion as a Strategy for Food and Bioprocess Technology

“…Development of biofilms in food processing environments results in product spoilage and possible risks to public health, in addition to creating a number of serious problems for industrial fluid processing operations (Gunduz and Tuncel 2006;CaloMata et al 2008). The presence of organisms such as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli in food processing environments can be a persistent source of contamination (Pires et al 2008). Chemical sanitizers are effective against planktonic cells, but they are typically unable to eliminate most biofilm-associated bacteria due to the protection afforded to cells enclosed within a matrix of exopolysaccharides (EPS; Niemira 2008).…”

Intelligent Packaging and Food Safety

“…The former approach allows PDA to be incorporated into an intelligent packaging system (Pires et al, 2010). The former approach allows PDA to be incorporated into an intelligent packaging system (Pires et al, 2010).…”

“…For more detailed discussion on the potential applications of PDA films as biosensors in the food industry, the reader should consult recent reviews by Pires et al (2010) and Chen et al (2012).…”

Recent progress in polydiacetylene mechanochromism

“…44,47,48 The recent technological advancement of AFM could shift the status of PDA as a quantitative mechanosensor at the nanoscale, which may lead to another leap in application development. Although there have been many informative reviews on PDAs, especially from the perspective of biosensing, 49–59 their mechanochromism, where external forces stimulate the blue-to-red transition, has not been reviewed since a brief report by Burns et al in 2004. 60 In this mini review, we summarize the recent progress in PDA mechanosensing.…”