The grave threat posed by food hazards to food security and human health has increased the urgency of rapid and sensitive detection. Enzyme-mimic immune detection, particularly nanozyme-activated food immunosensors (NAFI), shows distinct specificity and catalytic properties, advancing food safety supervision. However, knowledge of the fundamental principles and functionalities of NAFI is still limited. Based on tracking the timeline of the independent evolution and combination of immunosensors and nanozymes, we first provide a systemic view to describe the trends of NAFI. Moreover, the underlying catalytic mechanisms are discussed according to classification in this review, including metal-based, carbon-based, and metal-organic framework-based nanozymes. In particular, significant attention is focused on the fundamental function of nanozyme receptors in food immunosensors, including the connection between nanozymes and bio-affinity ligands (one pot and two steps), signal modulation and amplification, and various signal outputs (typical and novel modes), which are crucial for gaining the best performance and further innovation. Finally, based on representative applications of nanozymes to detect food hazards, the main challenges in the development of NAFI are summarized, and future research directions for this highly prospective frontier are envisioned.
Keywords: Biosensing; Enzyme mimic; Food safety; Immunosensor; Nanozyme.
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