Chapter 9. Application of Omics-based Miniaturized Systems in Food Quality and Safety

Miniaturized devices are revolutionizing food analysis. Such devices have a number of advantages, namely low consumption of sample and reagents, portability, low-energy consumption, rapid response and multiplexing capabilities, that have fostered their development towards marketable products. An increasing number of microfluidic-based devices are being released to the market, providing enormous possibilities for application in the omics sciences. One of the most interesting, and yet most challenging applications of miniaturized devices in food monitoring, is the development of hand-held devices that can enable in situ analysis at different points of the food value chain. The main objectives are to ensure the health of consumers, to easily determine whether a food product has been subjected to cross-contamination and, simultaneously, to identify how and when this cross-contamination occurred in order to establish the proper corrective measures. Herein, we focus mainly on the development of tools for food monitoring, particularly for protein- and DNA-based analysis, including the main fabrication processes and materials. Sample preparation and pre-treatment is highlighted as a challenging and fundamental step of the analytical procedure. Particularly in the case of foodborne pathogens, in which sample treatment is considered the main bottleneck for fast and in situ analysis. Nano-labelled and non-labelled detection strategies are discussed together with the main advantages and disadvantages of both for targeted analysis. Although there are several interesting developments of miniaturized devices that can contribute to omics analysis via non-targeted approaches, this chapter focuses mainly on the latest developments towards targeted analysis.