Biosensors are making a large impact in environmental, food, biomedical, and other applications. In comparison to standard analytical detection methods, such as minimal sample preparation and handling, they offer advantages including real time detection, rapid detection of the analytes of concern, use of non-skilled personnel, and portability. The aim of this book is to focus on research related to the rapid detection of agents and weapons of bioterrorism and provide a comprehensive review of the research topics most pertinent to advancing devices applicable to the rapid real-time detection of toxicants such as microbes, pathogens, toxins, or nerve gases. The ongoing war on terrorism and the rising security concerns are driving the need for newer faster biosensors against bio-warfare agents for both military and civil defence applications. The volume brings together contributions from the most eminent international researchers in the field, covering various aspects of work not so far published in any scientific journal and often going beyond the "state of art" . Readers of these review articles will learn new technological schemes that can lead to the construction of devices that will minimize the risk of bio-terrorism."

Biosensors are making a large impact in environmental, food, biomedical, and other applications. In comparison to standard analytical detection methods, such as minimal sample preparation and handling, they offer advantages including real time detection, rapid detection of the analytes of concern, use of non-skilled personnel, and portability. The aim of this book is to focus on research related to the rapid detection of agents and weapons of bioterrorism and provide a comprehensive review of the research topics most pertinent to advancing devices applicable to the rapid real-time detection of toxicants such as microbes, pathogens, toxins, or nerve gases. The ongoing war on terrorism and the rising security concerns are driving the need for newer faster biosensors against bio-warfare agents for both military and civil defence applications. The volume brings together contributions from the most eminent international researchers in the field, covering various aspects of work not so far published in any scientific journal and often going beyond the "state of art" . Readers of these review articles will learn new technological schemes that can lead to the construction of devices that will minimize the risk of bio-terrorism.

Nanotechnology and Biosensors shows how nanotechnology is used to create affordable, mass-produced, portable, small sized biosensors to directly monitor environmental pollutants. In addition, it provides information on their integration into components and systems for mass market applications in food analysis, environmental monitoring and health diagnostics. Nanotechnology has led to a dramatic improvement in the performance, sensitivity and selectivity of biosensors. As metal-oxide and carbon nanostructures, gold and magnetite nanoparticles, and the integration of dendrimers in biosensors using nanotechnology have contributed greatly in making biosensors more effective and affordable on a mass-market level, this book presents a timely resource on the topic.

Biosensors are poised to make a large impact in environmental, food, and biomedical applications, as they clearly offer advantages over standard analytical methods, including minimal sample preparation and handling, real-time detection, rapid detection of analytes, and the ability to be used by non-skilled personnel. Covering numerous applications of biosensors used in food and the environment, Portable Biosensing of Food Toxicants and Environmental Pollutants presents basic knowledge on biosensor technology at a postgraduate level and explores the latest advances in chemical sensor technology for researchers. By providing useful, state-of-the-art information on recent developments in biosensing devices, the book offers both newcomers and experts a roadmap to this technology. In the book, distinguished researchers from around the world show how portable and handheld nanosensors, such as dynamic DNA and protein arrays, enable rapid and accurate detection of environmental pollutants and pathogens. The book first introduces the basic principles of biosensing for newcomers to the technology. It then explains how the integration of a "receptor" can provide analytically useful information. It also describes trends in biosensing and examines how a small-sized device can have portability for the in situ determination of toxicants. The book concludes with several examples illustrating how to determine toxicants in food and environmental samples.