Malays. J. Anal. Sci. Volume 29 Number 6 (2025): 1593

 

Review Article

 

Global and Malaysian trends in biosensor development for food safety: A mini bibliometric analysis

 

Mohamad Aizad Mohd Mokhtar, Azila Abdul-Aziz*, Dayang Norulfairuz Abang Zaidel, and Roshafima Rasit Ali

 

Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: r-azila@utm.my

 

Received: 2 July 2025; Revised: 27 October 2025; Accepted: 30 November 2025; Published: 30 December 2025

 

This article was presented at the National Agricultural and Food Engineering Convention (NAFEC 2025), held on May 6 7, 2025. The event was organized by the Malaysian Society of Agricultural and Food Engineers, with Muhammad Hazwan Hamzah serving as Guest Editor.

 

Abstract

Biosensors have gained significant attention in food safety due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, rapid response, and portability. Despite these advantages, bibliometric analysis on biosensors development for food safety remain limited, particularly in the context of Malaysia. This study employed the Scopus database and VOSviewer software to conduct mini bibliometric analysis. The analysis revealed prominent keywords, namely limit of detection, food safety, and biosensing techniques. A total of 10,385 English-language research articles published between 2020 and February 2025 were analysed. The results revealed a steady increase in publications, with China (5,556 articles), the United States (888 articles), and India (515 articles) leading global output. Most studies were published under the subject areas of Chemistry, Agricultural and Biological Sciences and Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. Malaysia was ranked 25th globally and 2nd in Southeast Asia, with a contribution of 100 articles. These findings suggest Malaysia is poised to advance further in biosensor application for food safety, supported by growing publication output, strong collaborations and active local universities.

 

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; biosensor; food safety; food contaminants

 


References

1.        Camp s, M., D. Garibo, and B. Prieto-Sim n. (2012). Novel nanobiotechnological concepts in electrochemical biosensors for the analysis of toxins. Analyst, 137(5), 1055-1067.

2.        Ouyang, M., T. Liu, X. Yuan, C. Xie, K. Luo, and L. Zhou. (2025). Nanomaterials-based aptasensors for rapid detection and early warning of key food contaminants: A review. Food Chemistry, 462, 140990.

3.        Aizad Mohd Mokhtar, M., A. Abdul-Aziz, D. Norulfairuz Abang Zaidel, and R. Rasit Ali. (2025). Biochar-based materials as electrochemical sensors in food safety analysis: a short review. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 3003(1), 012027.

4.        Dezhakam, E., M. Tavakkol, T. Kafili, E. Nozohouri, A. Naseri, B. Khalilzadeh, and R. Rahbarghazi. (2024). Electrochemical and optical (bio)sensors for analysis of antibiotic residuals. Food Chemistry, 439, 138145.

5.        Kiani, P., H. Vatankhahan, A. Zare-Hoseinabadi, F. Ferdosi, S. Ehtiati, P. Heidari, Z. Dorostgou, A. Movahedpour, A. Baktash, M. Rajabivahid, and S.H. Khatami. (2025). Electrochemical biosensors for early detection of breast cancer. Clinica Chimica Acta, 564, 119923.

6.        Kalambate, P.K., Z. Rao, Dhanjai, J. Wu, Y. Shen, R. Boddula, and Y. Huang. (2020). Electrochemical (bio) sensors go green. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 163, 112270.

7.        Naresh, V. and N. Lee. (2021). A review on biosensors and recent development of nanostructured materials-enabled biosensors. Sensors, 21(4), 1109.

8.        Zhang, F., Xu, W., Deng, Z., & Huang, J. (2025). A bibliometric and visualization analysis of electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of eye diseases. Frontiers in Medicine, 11, 1487981.

9.        Mu oz-Urtubia, N., Vega-Mu oz, A., Estrada-Mu oz, C., Salazar-Sep lveda, G., Contreras-Barraza, N., Salinas-Mart nez, N., ... & Carmelo-Adsuar, J. (2024). Wearable biosensors for human health: A bibliometric analysis from 2007 to 2022. Digital Health, 10, 2055.

10.     Yunus, G., Singh, R., Raveendran, S., & Kuddus, M. (2023). Electrochemical biosensors in healthcare services: bibliometric analysis and recent developments. PeerJ, 11: e15566.

11.     Jangid, H., Kumar, D., Kumar, G., Kumar, R., and Mamidi, N. (2024). An emerging foodborne pathogen spotlight: A bibliometric analysis and scholarly review of Escherichia coli O157 research. Antibiotics, 13(1): 60.

12.     Dirpan, A., Yolanda, D. S., & Djalal, M. (2023). Is the use of biosensor in monitoring food quality experiencing an uplift trend over the last 30 years?: A bibliometric analysis. Heliyon, 9(8): e18977.

13.     Purba, L.D.A., H. Susanti, R. Admirasari, S. Praharyawan, Taufikurahman, and K. Iwamoto. (2024). Bibliometric insights into microalgae cultivation in wastewater: Trends and future prospects for biolipid production and environmental sustainability. Journal of Environmental Management, 352: 120104.

14.     Azri, F. A., Eissa, S., Zourob, M., Chinnappan, R., Sukor, R., Yusof, N. A., ... & Jinap, S. (2020). Electrochemical determination of zearalenone using a label-free competitive aptasensor. Microchimica Acta, 187(5): 266.

15.     Khalil, I., W.A. Yehye, N. Muhd Julkapli, A.A.I. Sina, S. Rahmati, W.J. Basirun, and A. Seyfoddin. (2020). Dual platform based sandwich assay surface-enhanced Raman scattering DNA biosensor for the sensitive detection of food adulteration. Analyst, 145(4), 1414-1426.

16.     Yahaya, M.L., N.D. Zakaria, R. Noordin, and K. Abdul Razak. (2021). Development of rapid gold nanoparticles based lateral flow assays for simultaneous detection of Shigella and Salmonella genera. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, 68(5), 1095-1106.

17.     Konieczka, P., 2.31 - Validation and Regulatory Issues for Sample Preparation, in Comprehensive Sampling and Sample Preparation, J. Pawliszyn, Editor. 2012, Academic Press: Oxford. p. 699-711.