Analytica Chimica Acta 684 (2011) 30–39 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Analytica Chimica Acta journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aca Review Trends in flow-based analytical methods applied to pesticide detection: A review E.J. Llorent-Martínez, P. Ortega-Barrales, M.L. Fernández-de Córdova, A. Ruiz-Medina ∗ Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, E-23071 Jaén, Spain article info Article history: Received 23 June 2010 Received in revised form 19 October 2010 Accepted 20 October 2010 Available online 3 November 2010 Keywords: Optosensor Electrochemical sensor Flow analysis Pesticides Multicommutation abstract Recent applications of flow-based analytical methods for pesticide determinations are reviewed. This review is focused on the description of electrochemical and optical flow sensors, describing the most relevant applications in this field. The different approaches employed up to date in electrochemical biosensors, together with the possible modifications in the flow methodology and the development of multiparameter flow-through optosensors have also been extensively described. Advantages, hand- icaps and current trends of each detection technique are critically discussed. The article ends up with a comparison between flow-based analytical methods and chromatography when applied to pesticide determination. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Eulogio J. Llorent-Martínez, Technical Researcher, was born in Jaén, Spain, in 1981. He received the chemistry degree and the Ph.D. degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Jaén in 2003 and 2008, respectively. He is currently developing his research in the Department of Physical and Analytical Chem- istry in the University of Jaén. He is mainly interested in the development of new automatic optosensors applied to clinical, food and environmental analysis, as well as researching in atomic spectrometry (ICP- MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Pilar Ortega Barrales, Lecturer in Analytical Chem- istry, her studies in Chemistry were in both the University of Jaén and Granada. She is lecturer in the University of Jaén since 1994 and she got her Ph.D. degree there in 1996 under the topic of solid phase spectroscopy. In 2000 and 2002 she spent two researches in Corrientes in Argentine and in Vienna in Austria, respectively. She has supervised three Ph.D. Thesis about flow through optosensors. Actually her research topics are flow through sensors as well as applications of ICP-MS. María Luisa Fernández de Córdova Lecturer in Ana- lytical Chemistry at the University of Jaén (Spain) from 2000. She received in 1994 her Ph.D. in chem- ical sciences from the University of Jaén. Her main research interests are analysis of olive oil and lumi- nescent flow-through optosensors for agrochemical, clinical and environmental analysis. At present, she is participating in a research project related to analysis of cultural heritage, concretely of mocarabes plaster works in the Palace of Alhambra (Granada-Spain). Antonio Ruiz Medina, Lecturer in Analytical Chem- istry, was born in Jaén, Spain, in 1971. He finished his studies in chemistry at the University of Granada (1994). In 1996 he was awarded a Ph.D. in the Depart- ment of Physical and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Jaén. He served as postdoctoral posi- tions at both the University of Florida (USA) and Vienna University of Technology (Austria). In 2001 he became assistant professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Jaén and two years later a lecturer. His research interest lies in the development of new automatic optosensors and also performing research in atomic spectrometry and gas chromatography techniques. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 953 212759; fax: +34 953 212940. E-mail address: anruiz@ujaen.es (A. Ruiz-Medina). 0003-2670/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2010.10.036