Enzymatic biosensor development based on cholinesterase in detecting the presence of toxic substances such as insecticides and heavy metals

Abstract

Biotechnology is a growing branch of knowledge as a country progress. Malaysia is moving forward due to the awareness in this area that will have a positive impact in line with the development of all sectors in the country such as agriculture, aquaculture, manufacturing industry, food, health, and environmental sustainability. Therefore, exposure to biotechnology should be broadened at every age to nurture interest and will be able to produce many experts in the field. Biosensor is one of the branches of biotechnology that is gaining popularity as its applications are proved to be effective, fast, inexpensive, and do not require specific expertise in its operations. In this context, the knowledge in biotechnology through the application of biosensor is easy to convey and may generate new ideas, inventions, and innovations in the future. This review discusses the basic knowledge of biosensor using cholinesterase as an example in detecting the presence of toxic substances in a medium, especially water. Besides, the operational methods of biosensors was also discussed in detail as well as its comparison with conventional methods that are high costs, require longer time for data generation and high technical expertise. These constrains made biosensor serves as an alternative method that proven more sensitive in detecting the presence of toxic substances such as insecticides and heavy metals in the environment.