Advanced supramolecular food safety sensing technology: principles and applications

Common chemical sensors encounter challenges such as limited recognition specificity, low sensitivity, and non-reusability due to the interference of complex food matrices. Supramolecular sensing technology based on macrocyclic recognition strategies and multiple response mechanisms offers novel approaches to overcome the mentioned shortcomings and shows great application potential in food safety analysis. In this review, recent progress of supramolecular sensing technology in food safety analysis is introduced. The structural and functional properties of several classical supramolecular macrocycles and the better sensing performance by combining various sensing strategies and response mechanisms with supramolecules are discussed. The applications of supramolecular sensing technology on various food contaminants in the last decade are reviewed, and the challenges and future research directions of supramolecular sensing are suggested. The review shows that supramolecular macrocycles possessing host-guest properties and customized structures offer innovative approaches for constructing sensor recognition elements, significantly improving sensing specificity, sensitivity, and anti-interference performance, and the development of nanoparticles and characterization techniques will further promote the supramolecular sensing technology.