A Disposable Biosensor for Pathogen Detection in Fresh Produce Samples

As the safety in the food supply becomes critical, the demand for rapid, low volume and sensitive biosensor devices has dramatically increased. This paper describes a novel biosensor based on electrochemical sandwich immunoassay for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection in fresh produce such as lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, and strawberries. The biosensor design is based upon the specific nature of labelled antibody–antigen binding. The architecture of the biosensor demonstrates the advantages of using lateral flow format strip attached to a portable circuitry for signal measurement. Results show that the biosensor can detect an average of 81 CFU ml−1 (number of samples n=9) in six min. Details on the performance of the biosensor in detecting pathogenic organisms in fresh produce are presented.