Non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors based on nanostructured metal oxides for food quality assessment: A review

Abstract

Background

In contemporary times, the global concern over food quality and food products looms large. The occurrence of even very minuscule hazardous chemicals and contaminants in food and water poses a significant threat, potentially leading to severe health repercussions and numerous foodborne illnesses. Conventional analytical methodologies towards the detection of food quality biomarkers have several drawbacks such as requirement of large volume of samples, skilled manpower, high cost and huge time consumption. On the other hand, nanotechnology enabled electrochemical sensors offer certain advantages including high sensitivity, selectivity, low detection limits, and portability for onsite food quality monitoring.

Scope and approach

The advent of nanotechnology offered the ability to prepare a variety of nanostructured metal oxides in large quantities with improved physico-chemical properties, particularly with high electrocatalytic ability without requiring additives or mediator. This review provides a summary of recent reports pertaining to non-enzymatic electrochemical detection of heavy metal ions, food additives, pesticides, vitamins, and biogenic amines in food items.

Key findings and conclusions

The present review indicated that there is a great potential for using nanostructured metal oxides (NMOs) based electrochemical sensors for food quality analyses through detection of a variety of relevant biomarkers over a wider concentration ranges and low detection limits. Moreover, most of the NMOs based sensors work at room temperature and biological pH. Considering the non-enzymatic nature of the sensors, it is postulated that an electrode array can be designed for rapid and simultaneous analyses of a number of food biomarkers.