In recent years, food safety issues have become a growing global concern. Mycotoxins, as secondary metabolites produced by molds, pose a serious threat to human and animal health. Traditional detection methods such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), although possessing high sensitivity and accuracy, are operationally complex, relatively costly, and unsuitable for rapid on-site testing. Electrochemical sensing methods, with their high sensitivity, ease of miniaturization, rapid analysis, and low cost, have emerged as reliable alternatives, demonstrating significant potential in food safety testing. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), owing to their unique porous structures, tunable surface properties, and excellent catalytic performance, have become ideal materials for constructing highly efficient electrochemical sensors. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in MOF-based electrochemical sensors for mycotoxin detection, focusing on their applications in detecting aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins (FBs), and patulin (PAT). This article explores the synthesis methods and surface functionalization for MOFs and their advantages in enhancing sensitivity, selectivity, and interference resistance. It also discusses the challenges (such as complex matrix interference and sensor stability) and future directions (the development of multifunctional sensors and compact, portable devices) in this field. This review aims to provide advanced research perspectives and technical references for the field of food safety detection.

Chickpeas, a high-protein emerging plant-based food source, face allergenicity concerns necessitating robust residue detection in the food supply chain. This study established a DNA detection method by real-time PCR targeting the Chloroplast import apparatus 2-like gene fragment (chromosome Ca7) for detection of chickpea residue, optimized for ISO standardization. Utilizing molecular biomarker analysis, the method demonstrated an absolute limit of detection (LOD) of 5 copies and a LOD_95% of 4.08 copies, enabling detection at 0.01% (w/w) mass fraction. Robustness yielded an RSD of 0.86%. Specificity was confirmed against 49 non-target species, and inclusivity was validated across 9 chickpea varieties. International collaborative trials exhibited 0% false positive/negative rates, a LOD_95% of 3.601 copies, a probability of detection (POD) of 0.638, and an inter-laboratory standard deviation of 0.331. Successful application to real food samples confirmed applicability. This validated method, advanced to the ISO/CD TS 24910-1 stage, provides critical technical support for global food safety by detecting chickpea residues.

The development of a simple, rapid and sensitive method for foodborne pathogens is essential to ensure public health safety. Existing methods, such as culture-based techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), often face challenges in terms of time-consuming, labor-intensive, and require extensive sample preparation and amplification, which makes them impractical for rapid or on-site pathogen detection. Herein, a competitive mechanism-driven electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor was constructed for Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) detection without nucleic acid extraction and amplification. To boost the ECL signal of luminol-H₂O₂ systems, in-situ anchoring of Pt nanoclusters on mesoporous Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles (Pt NCs@M-Mn₃O₄) used as the nanoconfinement co-reactor. Benefitting from the restricted mesoporous structure, Pt NCs@M-Mn₃O₄ provided a unique microenvironment for the enrichment of H₂O₂. Furthermore, the interfacial interaction could activate the electronic transfer between active species of Pt NCs and M-Mn₃O₄, enabling a synergistic catalytic effect on ROS generation to effectively boost the ECL emission of luminol. The proposed ECL aptasensor had a linear concentration from 2 × 10¹ to 2 × 10⁶ CFU/mL with limit of detection of 8 CFU/mL of S. typhimurium. Furthermore, the method showed high anti-interference ability. Especially, satisfactory recovery values in spiked-actual samples were obtained, thereby demonstrating great potential for sensitive and reliable detection of S. typhimurium in various environments.

To solve the problem of the lack of reference material (RM) for determination of allergenic ingredients in food, a RM of cashew nut powder was developed in the study. Cashew nut powder was prepared from cashew nut kernel by selecting, cleaning, crushing, n-hexane degreasing and sieving treatment. The reliability and traceability of RM was verified using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and phylogenetic tree analysis. The cashew nut powder RM showed good homogeneity, and good stability under long-term storage at 4 ℃ and short-term simulated transportation from –20 to 45 ℃. The RM was determined jointly by 8 collaborative laboratories, and the characteristic C_T value was 24.732, and the extended uncertainty was 1.052% (k = 2). The RM was applied to verify the amplification efficiency and the limit of detection for qPCR assay, and showed good applicability. The RM could be used for method validation and quality control, for the determination of allergenic ingredients in food mixed with trace amounts of cashew nut.

With the acceleration of industrialization, heavy metal pollution has become increasingly severe, posing a significant threat to human health. In recent years, various biosensors have been widely used for heavy metal detection. Among them, electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensors have garnered attention due to their high sensitivity, rapid response, and real-time detection capability. Noble-metal nanocomposite materials play an important role in enhancing sensor performance due to their unique physicochemical properties. This paper summarizes the latest research progress on ECL sensors based on noble-metal nanocomposite materials in heavy metal detection. It emphasizes the role of the nanocomposite materials in improving sensor sensitivity and discusses their performance in heavy metal detection, as well as the design principles and specificity of ECL sensors. Furthermore, it discusses future prospects for improving sensor performance and optimizing the application of microfluidic platforms through technological advancements. We hope that this review will provide more effective solutions for challenges in food safety testing.