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What Are Biosensors Used For?

Biosensors are used in the food industry to measure carbohydrates, alcohols and acids, for example, during quality control processes. The devices may also be used to check fermentation during the production of beer, yoghurt and soft drinks.26 Feb 2019
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Biosensors are devices comprising a biological element and a physiochemical detector that are used to detect analytes. These instruments have a wide range of applications ranging from clinical through to environmental and agricultural. The devices are also used in the food industry.

Some examples of the fields that use biosensor technology include:

General healthcare monitoringScreening for diseaseClinical analysis and diagnosis of diseaseVeterinary and agricultural applicationsIndustrial processing and monitoringEnvironmental pollution control

Biosensors can provide cost-effective, easy-to-use, sensitive and highly accurate detection devices in a variety of research and commercial applications. Some examples of these applications are described below.

Clinical and Diagnostic Applications

One well known example of a clinically applied biosensor is the glucose monitor, which is used on a routine basis by diabetic individuals to check their blood sugar level. These devices detect the amount of blood glucose in undiluted blood samples allowing for the easy self-testing and monitoring that has revolutionized diabetes management.

Applications in industry

Biosensors are used in the food industry to measure carbohydrates, alcohols and acids, for example, during quality control processes. The devices may also be used to check fermentation during the production of beer, yoghurt and soft drinks. Another important application is their use in detecting pathogens in fresh meat, poultry or fish.

Environmental applications

Biosensors are used to check the quality of air and water. The devices can be used to pick up traces of organophosphates from pesticides or to check the toxicity levels of wastewater, for example.

Further Reading

18 Related questions Answers found

Why are biosensors used?

Biosensors are employed in applications such as disease monitoring, drug discovery, and detection of pollutants, disease-causing micro-organisms and markers that are indicators of a disease in bodily fluids (blood, urine, saliva, sweat).

What Can biosensors detect?

Biosensors are used for the detection of pathogens in food. Presence of Escherichia coli in vegetables, is a bioindicator of faecal contamination in food. E. coli has been measured by detecting variation in pH caused by ammonia (produced by urease–E.

What are the essential components of a biosensor?

A biosensor typically consists of a bio-receptor (enzyme/antibody/cell/nucleic acid/aptamer), transducer component (semi-conducting material/nanomaterial), and electronic system which includes a signal amplifier, processor & display.

Is the common biological response used in biosensor?

The typical architecture of biosensors is a combination of biological components and transducers. In those, amperometric enzyme biosensors, which are composed by enzyme as a biological substance and electrode as a transducer, are one of the most popular biosensors.

How do you create a biosensor?

Biosensor design. A successful biosensor is composed of two main components, mainly a biological receptor or sensor element and a transducer. A signal processing unit that usually contains a display or printer is normally used in conjunction to a biosensor as depicted in Figure 2.

What is true biosensor?

Explanation: The statements which are true for biosensors are as follows: Biosensors convert a biological signal into an electrical signal. Biosensors are used to determine the concentration of substances and other parameters of biological interest even where they do not utilize a biological system directly.

Are biosensors expensive?

Another distinct advantage is the major reduction in the cost for the biosensor which ranges from $1000 to $5000 as compared to the common immunoassay laboratory equipment that may cost in the range of $12000-$20000 per instrument.

What are the disadvantages of biosensors?

Disadvantages include relatively poor sensitivity for many of the clinically relevant targets and qualitative or semi-quantitative results. To improve the limit of detection, recent efforts have focused on signal amplification.

How will you apply biosensors in the field of medicine food industry and environmental science?

As mentioned, applied to the monitoring of pesticides in the environment and in many foods, the biosensors typically employ the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, monitoring the occurrence of enzymatic inhibition by organophosphates and carbamates, as these chemical compounds bind to the active center of the enzyme, ...

Which converts biochemical events into measurable signals?

Explanation: Transducers convert biochemical events into measurable signals. They provide the means for detecting the biochemical changes inside the body.

What is biosensor example?

A good example of a biosensor in frequent use is the glucose oxidase enzyme. The enzyme is immobilized on an electrode surface which acts as an electrocatalyst for oxidation of glucose. The biosensor gives reproducible electrical signal for glucose concentrations as low as 0.15 mM.

How do biosensors work?

The term “biosensor” is short for “biological sensor.” The device is made up of a transducer and a biological element that may be an enzyme, an antibody or a nucleic acid. The bioelement interacts with the analyte being tested and the biological response is converted into an electrical signal by the transducer.

How are biosensors used in industry?

Enzyme-based biosensors can be used in food quality control to measure amino acids, amides, amines, carbohydrates, heterocyclic compounds, carboxylic acids, gases, inorganic ions, cofactors, alcohols and phenols. Biosensors can also be used in the assessment and analysis of produce such as wine, beer and yoghurt.

Is biosensors used for pregnancy test?

At present, the global market for biosensors is about $7 billion, with home-use health monitoring devices (e.g., glucose biosensors and pregnancy test strips) being dominant. These devices provide accurate results in no time and at low cost.

Is biosensor a biotechnology?

In biotechnology, biosensors are the analytical devices which make use of the biological materials like nucleic acid, hormone or enzyme. These compounds interact with the analyte, which is a biological compound, and they can be measured by means of the electrical, chemical or physical signals.

Is Elisa A biosensor?

In this study, we constructed a rapid detection system for a foodborne pathogen, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-on-a-chip (EOC) biosensor technology to minimize the risk of infection by the microorganism.

What is the difference between sensor and biosensor?

The term biosensor is actually a shortened version of biological sensor. These sensors get information from bodily fluids. Medical devices and doctors can learn a lot from the blood.

How are enzymes used in biosensors?

An enzyme biosensor is an analytical device that combines an enzyme with a transducer to produce a signal proportional to target analyte concentration. ... This signal can be further amplified, processed, or stored for later analysis.