Sensores e biossensores como alternativas viáveis na determinação de contaminantes no milho: uma revisão

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the development and application of sensors and biosensors in the determination of contaminants present in corn, from planting to final products. Patos de Minas, in the state of Minas Gerais – Brazil, is considered the national capital of corn. Countless food products from the planting of this cereal are taken daily to the table of consumers around the world, in addition to other applications, such as in the generation of biofuels. During the general production process, there is the possibility of contamination from pests, fungi, and other harmful microorganisms, the remains of pesticides or herbicides used in plantations, heavy metals, in addition to poor working conditions, hygiene, and care in the industry. Sensors and biosensors are devices that have the simplicity of handling, portability, low cost, high efficiency, and reliability, and can be operated in loco and without the need for specialized labor. Thus, these systems become viable alternatives for the determination of possible unwanted compounds for consumption during the production of corn products and their derivatives. This work was carried out searching the literature for the most recent biosensors applied in the determination of the main contaminants in corn in the past 10 years. The bibliographic research was carried out using the search platforms of the main scientific publishers: Elsevier, Wiley, Nature, Science, Springer, and through the CAPES journal portal. The results show a high number of works using biosensors for the determination of the most diverse contaminants, with simple, innovative systems, with low detection limits, high sensitivity, specificity, and good recovery rates in food samples or its by-products. It is expected that this work can help as a basis for the study of new devices and expand the importance of determining compounds harmful to health before reaching the final consumer.