Iron is essential for life. It acts as an electron donor/acceptor in metabolic processes facilitated by its variable valency. Although vital, it is toxic at high levels due to Fe2+ oxidation. Iron toxicity is a concern as it can affect growth and product yields in animal cell culture. Siderophores are high affinity Fe3+ chelators produced by microorganisms. This affinity gives them the potential to be used as a basis in platforms to detect and speciate iron in industrial cell culture. Rhizobactin 1021 is of interest due to its decanoic acid “tail” that is not involved in chelation which makes it an ideal target for immobilisation.