Graphene Derivatives-Based Electrochemical Sensors for Salmonella Detection: A Review

The article presents a substantial review of the use of graphene-based sensors to detect Salmonella bacteria in various food items. Graphene and its physiochemical derivatives have been used widely for electrochemical sensing applications due to their high porosity, high surface area, high charge carrier mobility, ease of functionality, and excellent electrocatalytic attributes. This has allowed the graphene-based prototypes to be considered for detecting ions at very low concentrations. Salmonella bacteria have been one of the pivotal microorganisms whose presence has affected a large number of people around the world. Although its presence in the food items has been accepted to a certain threshold level, the increase in its concentration leads to weakened immune systems. This leads to life-threatening conditions, especially for infants and older adults. This article showcases the use of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO)-based electrochemical sensing prototypes for Salmonella detection in food items. The article emphasizes the use of aptamer technology for selective biosensing of Salmonella on graphene electrodes. It highlights the capability of graphene derivatives in determining bacteria with high efficiency. The detection processes at low concentrations carried out on graphene-based surfaces by forming bifunctional cross-linkages have been demonstrated here for the first time. It also highlights the challenges existing with the current graphene derivatives-based sensors for electrochemical sensing and their possible remedies.