Immunosensors for Pesticide Analysis: Antibody Production and Sensor Development

Immunosensors, a type of affinity biosensor, are based on the binding interactions between an immobilized biomolecule (antibody antigen) on the electronic transducer surface with the analyte of interest (antigen antibody), resulting in a detectable signal. The sensor system takes advantage of the high selectivity provided by the molecular recognition characteristic of an antibody, which binds reversibly with a specific antigen. This review article presents the current status of immunosensors, highlighting their potential benefits and limitations for pesticide analysis. The basic criteria for generating specific antibodies against low-molecular-mass pesticides, which are usually nonimmunogenic in nature, are briefly discussed. The article also describes the fundamentals of important transducer technologies and their use in immunosensor development.