Biosensors are defined as indicators of biological compounds that can be as simple as temperature-sensitive paint or as complex as DNA-RNA probes. Food microbiologists are constantly seeking rapid and reliable automated systems for the detection of biological activity. Biosensors provide sensitive, miniaturized systems that can be used to detect unwanted microbial activity or the presence of a biologically active compound, such as glucose or a pesticide. Immunodiagnostics and enzyme biosensors are two of the leading technologies that have had the greatest impact on the food industry. The use of these two systems has reduced the time for detection of pathogens such as Salmonella to 24 h and has provided detection of biological compounds such as cholesterol or chymotrypsin. The continued development of biosensor technology will soon make available "on-line quality control" of food production, which will not only reduce cost of food production but will also provide greater safety and increased food quality.