Biorecognition Elements Driving Electrochemical Biosensors for Detecting Biological and Chemical Contaminants in Food: Progress and Challenges

Food safety is crucial for human health, which is compromised by contaminants such as chemicals and pathogens. These contaminations are one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in humans. Electrochemical biosensors are an impactful tool for the detection of these contaminants by altering the electrochemical signal due to the interaction between an analyte and a biorecognition element. The recognition element is the main component of an electrochemical biosensor where the analyte interacts. Biorecognition elements for contaminant detection include bacteriophages, DNA, peptides, aptamers, antibodies, polymers, enzymes, whole cells, and combinations of two or more recognition elements. This review focuses on the applicability of all biorecognition elements for the detection of various bacteria, viruses, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and illegal additives that are most commonly present in food. The data on progress for the detection of all contaminants, including target analytes, working electrodes, recognition elements, electrochemical methods, limit of detection (LOD), standard deviation, and electrode stability.