Colorimetric Sensors

Book excerpt: Colorimetric Sensors: Techniques to Measure Food Safety and Quality explores the latest advancements in colorimetric sensors/indicators and their applications. It consolidates state-of-the-art developments and current approaches in the fabrication of colorimetric sensors/indicators for cutting-edge applications. This book documents the principles of colorimetric sensors, sensor fabrication and characterization, sensitivity and detection limits of colorimetric sensors based on natural pigments, synthetic dyes, and nanotechnologies, as well as safety, quality controls, and regulatory aspects, followed by an assessment of their safety and quality. In addition, global trends in the application of colorimetric sensors in monitoring food freshness, challenges, marketing, and potential future development applications are addressed in detail. How the applications of colorimetric sensors/indicators in the analysis of cereal and cereal-based products, meat and meat products, liquid and semiliquid foods, food authentication, food toxicants, and pathogens, among others, is also discussed. This book can be used as a textbook for graduate students, a reference book for medical biologists, nanobiotechnologists, nanoengineers, agricultural scientists, and general biologists, and an inspiration for industrialists and policymakers studying smart nanomaterials. Graduate students and food scientists of all levels will also benefit. - Serves as a valuable source for researchers interested in the fundamental, basic, and modern applications of colorimetric sensors/intelligent food packaging - Presents colorimetric sensors for use as rapid and cost-effective analytical tools to measure food safety and quality - Covers colorimetric sensors/intelligent food packaging fabricated from natural, and synthetic dyes, and nanotechnology-based biomolecules for the assessment of food safety and quality - Demonstrates methods for evaluating the authenticity and odorants crucial to consumer acceptance of food products - Considers future industrial application, commercialization, regulatory aspects of colorimetric sensors/ indicators, and global trends for monitoring food freshness