Biomimetic Nanosensors for Determination of Toxic Compounds in Food and Agricultural Products (review)

In the recent years many types of biosensors have been developed and used in a wide variety of analytical settings with applications in biomedicine, health care, drug design, environmental monitoring, detection of biological, chemical and toxic agents etc. In the field of sensor research and development, bionanotechnology is poised to make significant contributions and has the potential to radically alter the way sensors are designed, constructed and implemented. The most recent unrestrictive techniques used in biosensor design are surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), combined with a biological receptor. On that basis several enzymes and microbial cells have been immobilized onto newly synthesized hybrid membranes. They contain particles from SiO2, TiO2, polymers and dendrimers and are attached to the sensor’s surface. They are applied for determination of xenobiotics in crops, milk, nuts and other food and agricultural materials. The aim of this review is to summarize some of the most significant research achievements in the field of biomimetic nanosensors design based on immobilized tyrosinase for determination of toxic compounds and smart biosensors for determination of Mycotoxines.