Grouping illuminants by aggregation-induced emission (AIE) mechanisms for designing sensing platforms for food quality and safety inspection
Chenyue Zhou, Ji Ma, Da‐Wen Sun
Abstract
Recently, food quality and safety have emerged as significant global issues. The rapid detection of food contaminants and spoilage markers has attracted increasing concerns. The grouping of illuminants based on the principle of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) mechanism for designing food safety and quality monitoring and analysis sensing platforms can address the shortcomings of conventional fluorophore aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), offering the benefits of superb photoluminescence properties and trace-level detection accuracy. With the increasing demand for rapid and real-time monitoring in the food industry, such a robust sensing platform is becoming progressively important. In the current review, the luminescence mechanisms and structure design of AIE sensing platforms are first introduced. The sensing mechanisms are elucidated, including noncovalent interaction, solubility and viscosity change, specific recognition, and photophysical quenching/dequenching processes. Moreover, this review comprehensively summarizes the latest and representative applications of AIE sensing platforms in the detection of foodborne pathogens, environmental pollutants, biotoxins, agrochemicals, illegal additives, and spoilage markers. Lastly, the outlook and challenges of AIE sensing platforms are discussed. The emerging AIE sensing platform exhibits the outstanding advantages of rapidity, high sensitivity, and good accuracy in analytes detection, as well as predestined capabilities in constructing portable solid-state sensors. The combination of AIE sensing platforms with other technologies, such as immunosensing techniques, freshness labels, and smartphone platforms, can further facilitate the development of commercialized AIE sensing platforms, especially for portable, real-time, and on-site monitoring applications. From typical organic molecules to nature-derived AIE nanomaterials, the discovery, and synthesis of different types of AIE sensing substances are under active exploration to provide better solutions for food safety and quality inspection.