Label and label-free based surface-enhanced Raman scattering for pathogen bacteria detection: A review

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Food Science

Background:

• Rapid and accurate detection of pathogen bacteria is critical for food safety and public health.
• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) presents a promising technique due to its sensitivity, speed, and portability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of SERS for rapid pathogen bacteria detection.
• To discuss both label-based and label-free SERS strategies.
• To explore multifunctional SERS platforms and future directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent trends and developments in SERS for pathogen detection.
• Interpretation of SERS spectra for bacterial identification.
• Discussion of SERS platforms in complex matrices.

Main Results:

• SERS demonstrates significant potential for sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective pathogen bacteria detection.
• Both label and label-free SERS strategies show promise for diverse applications.
• Multifunctional SERS platforms enhance detection capabilities in real-world samples.

Conclusions:

• SERS is a powerful tool for real-time pathogen bacteria detection.
• Further development of SERS platforms will improve food safety and public health monitoring.
• Future research should focus on standardization and application in complex matrices.