Carbon-Based Nanosensors for Agricultural and Food Waste Threshold Determination

Carbon-based nanosensors are emerging as powerful tools for detecting contaminants in agriculture and food systems. Compared to conventional analytical techniques, these sensors offer higher sensitivity and portability, in addition to being less expensive. People have reported the use of carbon nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon dots (CDs) for the detection of pesticides, mycotoxins, pathogenic microorganisms, and heavy metals, often with limits of detection in the nanomolar (nM) or parts-per-billion (ppb) range. Thus, this chapter reviews crucial developments in the domain of carbon-based nanosensors for threshold determination in agricultural and food matrices. The roles of surface functionalization, heteroatom doping, and hybrid nanocomposites in improving selectivity, response time, and signal transduction are discussed in brief. The importance of fluorescence and electrochemical and colorimetric sensing platforms is also highlighted, along with their applications in diverse areas of agriculture and food. In addition, portable and paper-based sensing devices for rapid on-site monitoring are emphasized. In conclusion, major challenges associated with carbon-based sensors are outlined, along with future prospects in smart agriculture and integrated monitoring systems.