Recent developments in biosensing strategies for the detection of small molecular contaminants to ensure food safety in aquaculture and fisheries

Background: Food safety is a significant issue for the aquaculture industry. Although much effort has been made to ensure seafood safety, few realized the mutual effects between rearing species and aquatic environments. Also, aquatic areas are essential precursors for seafood contamination because most organisms obtain contaminants directly from the water. Conventional bioassays and instrumental assays require well-equipped labs and pro-fessional personnel; hence novel methods are needed for affordable and large-scale monitoring. Biosensors are paving their way toward extensive application with their excellent detection performance and facile design, especially those with integrated techniques that render great potential for on-site detection. Scope and approach: This review aims at the recent advances in biosensing strategies for small molecule con-taminants in water and biological samples obtained in aquaculture and fisheries, including heavy metals, anti-biotics, biotoxins, and various seafood deterioration factors. The review highlights the developments in the biorecognition process, signal transduction methods, and the rapid progress of element integration in each novel approach, emphasizing the significant roles of novel material science, facile platform fabrication, and intelligent readout. Moreover, this study provides a view of accomplishments and prospects within a broader context of the aquaculture food industry, from rearing farms to market shelves. Key findings and conclusions: With innovated bio-recognition and signal amplification processes, most procedures can be completed within an hour and achieve detection limits lower than micromolar, including those validated by several biological samples or aimed at multiple testing. The facile and affordable devices have also made these methods promising tools for on-site screening and large-scale monitoring.

Automated summary

Food safety is an important issue for the aquaculture industry, but the mutual effects between rearing species and aquatic environments are often overlooked. Aquatic areas are crucial precursors for seafood contamination, as organisms obtain contaminants directly from the water. Conventional bioassays and instrumental assays necessitate well-equipped labs and professional personnel, which call for novel methods for affordable and large-scale monitoring. Biosensors, with their excellent detection performance and facile design, are promising tools for on-site detection, especially those with integrated techniques.