State-of-the-art sensor technologies for tracking SARS-CoV-2 in contaminated food and packaging: Towards the future techniques of food safety assurance
The emergence of foodborne viral diseases and COVID-19 and their potential transmission through food and packaging materials have highlighted the urgent need for the development of sensitive and rapid sensing technologies to track viral outbreaks in manufacturing processes. This study evaluates the performance of biosensors in detecting the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and key foodborne viruses in crops, frozen foods, and their packages. Also, the potential of advanced sensors combined with transformative technologies such as blockchain, Internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) for COVID-19 risk control in cold food supply chains (CFSCs) was reviewed. Frozen protein-rich foods and their packaging are major carriers of SARS-CoV-2 in the food industry. Compared to the reverse-transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), sensor technologies exhibit comparable accuracy in detecting foodborne viruses and SARS-CoV-2 with higher sensitivity. Electrochemical (e.g., CRISPR/Cas-based systems) and optical (e.g., aptamer-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)) biosensing systems demonstrated binding specificity to the spike protein and N-gene sequence of SARS-CoV-2, enabling its selective diagnosis with high stability and low limit of detection. The integration of smart sensors with sustainable digital technologies like IoT, AI, and blockchain allows for virus risk analysis in CFSCs using smartphone screen's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. Hence, there is a critical need for biosensing platforms to ensure food safety and a viral contamination-free Industry 4.0 in the post-COVID future.
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