Recent advances in the analytical strategies of microbial biosensor for detection of pollutants

Microbial biosensor which integrates different types of microorganisms, such as bacteria, microalgae, fungi, and virus have become suitable technologies to address limitations of conventional analytical methods. The main applications of biosensors include the detection of environmental pollutants, pathogenic bacteria and compounds related to illness, and food quality. Each type of microorganisms possesses advantages and disadvantages with different mechanisms to detect the analytes of interest. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend in genetic modifications for the development of microbial biosensors due to potential for high-throughput analysis and portability. Many review articles have discussed the applications of microbial biosensor, but many of them focusing only about bacterial-based biosensor although other microbes also possess many advantages. Additionally, reviews on the applications of all microbes as biosensor especially viral and microbial fuel cell biosensors are also still limited. Therefore, this review summarizes all the current applications of bacterial-, microalgal-, fungal-, viral-based biosensor in regard to environmental, food, and medical-related applications. The underlying mechanism of each microbes to detect the analytes are also discussed. Additionally, microbial fuel cell biosensors which have great potential in the future are also discussed. Although many advantageous microbial-based biosensors have been discovered, other areas such as forensic detection, early detection of bacteria or virus species that can lead to pandemics, and others still need further investigation. With that said, microbial-based biosensors have promising potential for vast applications where the biosensing performance of various microorganisms are presented in this review along with future perspectives to resolve problems related on microbial biosensors.

Automated summary

Microbial biosensors, integrating different types of microorganisms, have emerged as suitable technologies to overcome limitations of traditional analytical methods. They are widely used in detecting environmental pollutants, pathogenic bacteria, illness-related compounds, and assessing food quality. Each microorganism type possesses advantages and disadvantages with distinct mechanisms for analyte detection. Genetic modifications are increasingly employed in the development of microbial biosensors for high-throughput analysis and portability. Despite the numerous review articles on bacterial-based biosensors, limited attention has been given to other microorganisms, including viruses and microbial fuel cells. This review provides an overview of the applications of bacterial-, microalgal-, fungal-, and viral-based biosensors in environmental, food-related, and medical contexts, and discusses the underlying detection mechanisms. Additionally, it highlights the potential of microbial fuel cell biosensors. Further investigation is necessary for other areas such as forensic detection and early detection of bacteria or virus species that could lead to pandemics. Microbial-based biosensors hold great promise for diverse applications, with this review presenting their performance and future perspectives in resolving challenges associated with these biosensors.