Recent Studies and Applications of Hydrogel-Based Biosensors in Food Safety

Abstract

Food safety has increasingly become a human health issue that concerns all countries in the world. Some substances in food that can pose a significant threat to human health include, but are not limited to, pesticides, biotoxins, antibiotics, pathogenic bacteria, food quality indicators, heavy metals, and illegal additives. The traditional methods of food contaminant detection have practical limitations or analytical defects, restricting their on-site application. Hydrogels with the merits of a large surface area, highly porous structure, good shape-adaptability, excellent biocompatibility, and mechanical stability have been widely studied in the field of food safety sensing. The classification, response mechanism, and recent application of hydrogel-based biosensors in food safety are reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the challenges and future trends of hydrogel biosensors are also discussed.

An Ammonia Gas Sensor Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Hydrogels

“…[19,25] Hydrogel is a soft material with a 3D network structure that can be cross-linked together by hydrogen, coordination, ionic, and covalent bonds using physical or chemical processes. [35][36][37][38][39] As a result of its porous network structure, the hydrogel can absorb and swell in water without dissolving, thereby increasing its water content. Also, the hydrogel can be shaped into regular, irregular, and thin film solids, offering versatility in applications.…”

“…Also, the hydrogel can be shaped into regular, irregular, and thin film solids, offering versatility in applications. [27,32,37] Hydrogel exhibits properties such as a porous network structure, stimuli-responsive behavior, swelling ability, softness, flexibility, biocompatibility, high surface area, and biodegradability. These qualities make hydrogel a suitable material for various research fields, including wound dressing, soft robotics, wearable electronics, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.…”

“…These qualities make hydrogel a suitable material for various research fields, including wound dressing, soft robotics, wearable electronics, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. [31,32,37,40] However, hydrogel's low conductivity and lack of dynamism limit its suitability for biosensor applications. To address this, incorporating tough hydrogel along with noble materials like graphene and its derivatives, metal oxides, and metal nanoparticles (MNPs) can enhance its conductivity and other properties.…”

Comparative Analysis of Crosslinking Methods and Their Impact on the Physicochemical Properties of SA/PVA Hydrogels

“…In cosmetics, they are utilized in products that preserve skin moisture [3]. The food industry employs hydrogels as nutrient carriers, components of packaging, and food freshness sensors [4][5][6]. In agriculture, they function well in irrigation formulations and targeted nutrient delivery [7,8].…”