Dottorato in MOLECULAR DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION FOR THE
PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: FROM DRUG TO FOOD

Titolo della tesi: Development of Modifed Biosensors for Clinical, Ecotoxilogical and Food Analysis

For evaluating and averting hazards to human health and the environment, the detection and monitoring of pollutants, such as chemical compounds, poisons, and infections in food and the ecosystem, is crucial. Traditional analytical methods, such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, are frequently combined with mass spectrometry. These methods are expensive, typically require rather lengthy analysis times, and frequently require extracting, purifying, or derivatizing the analyte before the analysis phase. Due to these factors, they are the responsibility of highly qualified employees and laboratories that are well-equipped, and they do not lend themselves well to systematic monitoring activities in the application area by personnel who are not specially trained. In order to adequately monitor a wide range of biotic matrices, there is a significant perceived demand for straightforward, reasonably priced analytical equipment that are also precise, sensitive, and portable. These properties are at least largely possessed by biosensors, which makes them appear to be the best candidates for monitoring and quick assessments of organic and inorganic analytes on matrices of relevance to the food or environment. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to functionalize and characterize a number of enzymatic sensors and immunosensors, that may have applications in the medical, environmental, and food industries. The studies carried out during these years of the PhD course aimed to investigate and develop applicable electrochemical biosensors for the rapid and accurate detection of Vitamin D3 in serum samples, faecal lactoferrin and faecal calprotectin, SARS-Cov-2 in oropharyngeal swabs, polyphenols in coffee samples, atrazine and glyphosate in water matrix and Hepatitis A Virus in drinking water and in water used for vegetable processing.