THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN RESEARCH IS TO ENHANCE FOOD SAFETY AND BIOSECURITY BY DEVELOPING SMART SENSORS THAT SEPARATE AND DETECT VIABLE SALMONELLA. WE WILL DEVELOP NANOSCALE SENSING MECHANISMS FOR THE RELIABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE EARLY DETECTION OF PATHOGENS USING ENGINEERED BACTERIOPHAGES. BACTERIOPHAGES, WHICH ARE VIRUSES THAT INFECT BACTERIA, WILL BE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO ALLOW ATTACHMENT TO MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES RESULTING IN A PROBE WITH THE ABILITY TO BIND, SEPARATE, CONCENTRATE AND DETECT SALMONELLA FROM LIQUID SAMPLES. THE CONJUGATION STRATEGY HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO BE AN EFFICIENT AND LOW-COST STRATEGY WHICH WILL FACILITATE FUTURE SCALE-UP AND COMMERCIALIZATION. WE WILL TEST THE SEPARATION AND DETECTION OF SALMONELLA FROM SPINACH SAMPLES AND AGRICULTURAL WATER. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL ENGINEER PHAGE TAIL FIBERS TO RECOGNIZE CONSERVED REGIONS OF THE SALMONELLA RESULTING IN A PHAGE WITH EXTREMELY BOARD HOST RANGE WITHIN SALMONELLA. THESE TECHNOLOGIES TOGETHER WILL ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY SENSITIVE BIOSENSORS WHICH CAN BE USED FOR FOOD SAFETY.THE PROPOSED METHOD WILL COMBINED WITH ENZYMATIC DIGESTION PRETREATMENT DEVELOPED BY OUR LABS, TO ALLOW THE RAPID SEPARATION AND DETECTION OF SALMONELLA FROM SEVERAL AGRICULTURAL MATRICES INCLUDING AGRICULTURAL WATER AND SPINACH.