Advanced lipid based biosensors for food analysis

The investigation of lipid films for the construction of nanosensors has recently given the opportunity to manufacture devices to selectively determine a wide range of food toxicants. Biosensor miniaturization using recent advances in nanotechnology has given the opportunity to investigate novel techniques to immobilize a wide range of enzymes, antibodies and receptors within the lipid film. This chapter reviews novel revent platforms in nanobiosensors based on lipid membranes that are used in food chemistry to determine various food toxicants. Examples of applications are described with an emphasis on novel systems, sensing techniques and nanotechnology-based transduction schemes. The compounds that can be monitored are insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, metals, toxins, hormones, etc. Finally, limitations and future prospects are presented herein on the evaluation/validation and eventually commercialization of the proposed sensors.