Microscale electrodes integrated on COP for real sample Campylobacter spp. detection

Campylobacter spp. are responsible for acute bacterial diseases in human worldwide. Nowadays campilobacteriosis is considered the most common foodborne illness in the European Union. In this paper the first electrochemical genosensor based on thin-film gold electrodes deposited onto Cyclo Olefin Polymer (COP) substrates was fabricated for the detection of Campylobacter spp in food matrices. The sensing element is characterized by several surface techniques and the sensitivity of the biosensor have been studied. A good linear relationship was obtained for the concentrations of PCR amplicon of Campylobacter spp. between 1 and 25 nM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 90 pM. Real samples have been validated with poultry meat samples and results were comparable with the PCR product samples. This is the last step for the fabrication of a Lab on a Chip (LOC), a biodevice integrating DNA sensor technology into microfluidic system, believed to perform an automated and complete assay, including sample preparation, PCR amplification, and electrochemical detection of Campylobacter spp. in raw poultry meat samples.