The end user sensor tree: An end-user friendly sensor database

Abstract

Detailed knowledge regarding sensor based technologies for the detection of food contamination often remains concealed within scientific journals or divided between numerous commercial kits which prevents optimal connectivity between companies and end-users. To overcome this barrier The End user Sensor Tree (TEST) has been developed. TEST is a comprehensive, interactive platform including over 900 sensor based methods, retrieved from the scientific literature and commercial market, for aquatictoxins, mycotoxins, pesticides and microorganism detection. Key analytical parameters are recorded in excel files while a novel classification system is used which provides, tailor-made, experts' feedback using an online decision tree and database introduced here. Additionally, a critical comparison of reviewed sensors is presented alongside a global perspective on research pioneers and commercially available products. The lack of commercial uptake of the academically popular electrochemical and nanomaterial based sensors, as well as multiplexing platforms became very apparent and reasons for this anomaly are discussed.

The benefits of carbon black, gold and magnetic nanomaterials for point-of-harvest electrochemical quantification of domoic acid

“…Nanomaterial-enhanced electrochemical sensing using graphene, graphene oxide or carbon nanotubes has been identified as the most sensitive detection system, surpassing mass spectrometry in terms of sensitivity by orders of magnitude. This is highlighted in a published report which compares over 900 optical, mechanical and electrochemical (bio)sensors [2]. Interestingly, no electrochemical sensors utilizing carbon black (CB) were reported in that database [2] or in an additional review compiling another 200 plus sensors on food contaminant detection [3].…”

“…This is highlighted in a published report which compares over 900 optical, mechanical and electrochemical (bio)sensors [2]. Interestingly, no electrochemical sensors utilizing carbon black (CB) were reported in that database [2] or in an additional review compiling another 200 plus sensors on food contaminant detection [3]. Actually, only very limited use of CB in any electrochemical biosensor in any field was identified in an additional Scopus database search with 47 hits for the search term ("electrochemical" AND "biosensor" AND "carbon black") against 3505 hits for the search ("electrochemical" AND "biosensor" AND "graphene" OR "carbon nanotubes").…”

Screening of Carbamate and Organophosphate Pesticides in Food Matrices Using an Affordable and Simple Spectrophotometric Acetylcholinesterase Assay

“…Although these methods provide selectivity, sensitivity with high-throughput capabilities, LC/MS and GC/MS are also costly and time-consuming methodologies that require skilled personnel [9]. To counter these limitations, an ever-increased use of sensor-based methods has been noticed [10]. Various immunoassays were developed against specific CMs and OPs [11,12].…”

A Hybrid Lab-on-a-Chip Injector System for Autonomous Carbofuran Screening

“…Despite being highly accurate, robust, and with low limits of detection (LODs) at the sub-ppb level, chromatographic methods are also expensive, time-consuming, and require highly skilled operators. Therefore, such reference methods do not fit into the affordable complementary screening concept [7,8]. Alternative methods have been investigated, including immunoassays against specific CMs [9], electrochemical detection [10,11], surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and fluorescence aided by nanomaterials (NMs) [12].…”