Antibodies and food productions: Possible applications in food quality and safety control

In the food industry, the control and improvement of quality and safety of food products before their entrance in the market is mandatory. This process involves the necessity of monitoring different compounds, among which factors of plant and animal diseases, analysis of food contamination for toxins, pesticides and drug residues, natural toxicants, allergenes, pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore is Very important to set-up methodologies and techniques able to give qualitative and quantitative answers in a short time. Immunodiagnostic tests, based on antibodies properties, are optimal candidates for this task, because their are economic, rapid, easy to perform, very sensitive and reliable, and because they can be carried out directly on the field. In this review, examples of application of immunological tests to food production are reported, such as those for the presence of bacteria, Virus and molds in food crops and in animal production, and those for the presence of microbial toxins, algal toxins, pathogenic microorganisms, and pesticides or drug residues. The development of tests based on the employment of specific antibodies, such as immunobiosensors, remains a promising area of research for the application to the food industry.