Nanosensors: A smart remedy for early detection of clenbuterol contamination in food

Veterinary drugs which are primarily meant for livestock treatment have now been categorised under potential food contaminant due to its unregulated usage and abuse. Their over usage by animal workers lead to production of contaminated animal-based food products which contain veterinary drug residues. These drugs are also misused as growth promoters to enhance the muscle to fat ratio in human body. This review highlights the misuse of such a veterinary drug; Clenbuterol. In this review, we have comprehensively discussed the usage of nanosensors to detect clenbuterol in food samples. Colorimetric, fluorescent, electrochemical, SERS and electrochemiluminescence are major categories of nanosensors that have been utilized for this purpose. The mechanism through which these nanosensors detect clenbuterol have been discussed in detail. The limit of detection and recovery percentage values of each nanosensor have been compared. This review will impart significant information on various nanosensors for clenbuterol detection in real samples.