Nano-material biosensors in agriculture application and accessibility in rural smallholding farms: food security

Abstract

In the absence of inexpensive screening tools, food contamination poses immense threat to food safety and security and ultimately inclines burden on the public health, particularly for the populace in low- and middle-income countries, e.g. sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) countries. Current traditional methods for detection of contaminants in food and to ensure food quality and safety are associated with time-consuming procedures that are expensive and not accessible to those in rural areas. This chapter reviews the latest development and highlights the impact of various nanomaterials used during constructing biological sensors for screening each of these above food contaminants, in detail. The presence of nanomaterials is promising to offer device that is affordable, highly sensitive, specific and user-friendly. This chapter also highlights the accessibility of this technology, particularly to those in the rural and smallholder farmers. Furthermore, also try to address the potential contributions that nanotechnology can have in food safety and security.