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Rapid Detection Technology for Food Safety and Quality
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Rapid Detection Technology for Food Safety and Quality

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 21 August 2026 | Viewed by 2117

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ruiyun Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: nondestructive testing; food safety; micro-nano sensing; SERS; terahertz spectroscopy; biosensing; flexible sensor
Prof. Dr. Jianrong Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: rapid non-destructive testing of food and agricultural products; optical imaging; acoustic detection; new equipment for food processing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid detection technologies are essential for timely monitoring of chemical contaminants, pathogens, and quality indicators throughout food supply chains. Recent progress in advanced spectroscopic methods—including surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), terahertz spectroscopy, fluorescence techniques, and AI-enhanced near-infrared spectroscopy—alongside innovative biosensing platforms has substantially improved analytical sensitivity, accelerated testing procedures, and enhanced portability for on-site analysis. These technological advances address critical industry needs for field-deployable solutions that enable real-time pathogen screening, pesticide residue quantification, and food authenticity verification across diverse agricultural products and processed foods.

This Special Issue invites original research and reviews on cutting-edge rapid detection technologies for food safety and quality control. We seek submissions focusing on novel sensor designs (spectroscopic, biosensing, and microfluidic), integrated system development for point-of-need testing, and validation in complex food systems. Priority will be given to contributions demonstrating the following: (1) practical implementation in real-world settings, (2) multi-analyte detection capabilities for simultaneous hazard screening, and (3) cost-effective solutions suitable for industrial adoption.

Dr. Ruiyun Zhou
Prof. Dr. Jianrong Cai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food safety
  • multi-analyte detection
  • on-site analysis
  • foodborne pathogens
  • pesticides
  • SERS
  • terahertz spectroscopy
  • near-infrared spectroscopy
  • biosensors
  • microfluidic sensors
  • AI

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 2081 KB  
Article
Semi-Quantitative Detection of Borax Adulteration in Wheat Flour Based on Microwave Non-Destructive Testing and Machine Learning
by Mei Kang, Jiming Yang, Ya Ren and Xue Bai
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061107 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 525
Abstract
The adulteration of wheat flour with borax poses a serious food safety risk, yet conventional rapid non-destructive screening methods remain limited. This study developed a machine learning-based microwave non-destructive semi-quantitative detection method for identifying borax adulteration in wheat flour. Using a proprietary microwave [...] Read more.
The adulteration of wheat flour with borax poses a serious food safety risk, yet conventional rapid non-destructive screening methods remain limited. This study developed a machine learning-based microwave non-destructive semi-quantitative detection method for identifying borax adulteration in wheat flour. Using a proprietary microwave detection system, which acquires broadband frequency-domain amplitude attenuation and phase shift responses in the 2.5–11.5 GHz band, amplitude attenuation spectra and dimensional phase offset spectra were obtained from 155 samples prepared at three adulteration levels (0%, 0.1–0.9%, 1–5%). These samples simulated real-world adulteration scenarios. To address high-dimensionality and class imbalance, a hybrid Random Forest-Whale Optimization Algorithm (RF-WOA) was employed to synergistically optimize feature selection and model hyperparameters. Through hierarchical repeated validation and macro-level metric evaluation, this approach achieved an overall classification accuracy of 94.6% and a macro F1 score of 0.95 while compressing the original 1800-dimensional feature space to approximately 200 effective features. Confusion matrix analysis indicates 100% recall for undiluted samples, with misclassifications primarily occurring between adjacent adulteration levels and no false negatives introduced for adulterated samples. These results demonstrate that microwave sensing combined with the RF-WOA provides a rapid, non-destructive, and robust preliminary screening and grading evaluation strategy for borax adulteration in wheat flour, exhibiting significant potential in food safety monitoring and regulatory inspection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rapid Detection Technology for Food Safety and Quality)
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18 pages, 18342 KB  
Article
A Sensitive, Rapid, On-Site Detection of Diflubenzuron in Food via a Colloidal Gold-Based Test Strip
by Yanni Zhu, Dan Wang, Wenqin Wu, Yinghua Deng, Zhaowei Zhang and Zhi-Quan Tian
Foods 2026, 15(6), 977; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15060977 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 506
Abstract
Diflubenzuron (DFB), a benzoylurea insecticide widely used in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and edible fungi, is increasingly detected in food. It has been linked to endocrine disruption, hematological effects, developmental toxicity, DNA damage, and ecological risks in aquatic organisms. These concerns, together with strict [...] Read more.
Diflubenzuron (DFB), a benzoylurea insecticide widely used in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and edible fungi, is increasingly detected in food. It has been linked to endocrine disruption, hematological effects, developmental toxicity, DNA damage, and ecological risks in aquatic organisms. These concerns, together with strict maximum residue limits, highlight the need for rapid, field-deployable detection methods. Herein, we developed a quantitative colloidal gold lateral-flow immunoassay for rapid DFB detection within 10 min. The optimized assay achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 ng mL−1, a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.067 ng mL−1, and a linear range of 0.07–100 ng mL−1 (R2 = 0.9998), with high selectivity. Validation in eight food matrices (milk, chicken, mushrooms, pear, Chinese cabbage, rice, dried chili, and peanut) showed recoveries of 97.6–110.0% with RSDs of 2.1–4.9%. Results were consistent with LC-MS analysis, demonstrating that this assay provides a sensitive, practical, and rapid tool for screening DFB residues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rapid Detection Technology for Food Safety and Quality)
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33 pages, 1242 KB  
Systematic Review
Advances in Portable Biosensor-Based Test Kits for Pesticide Residue Screening in Agricultural Products: A Systematic Review
by Udomsap Jaitham, Wenting Li, Sumed Yadoung, Peerapong Jeeno, Xianfeng Cao, Ching Sian Zam and Surat Hongsibsong
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081412 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 556
Abstract
Pesticide residues in food and agricultural products continue to constitute a significant concern for food safety, particularly when rapid decision-making is required across production and supply chains. Although chromatographic methods such as GC-MS and LC-MS/MS remain essential for confirmatory analysis, their dependence on [...] Read more.
Pesticide residues in food and agricultural products continue to constitute a significant concern for food safety, particularly when rapid decision-making is required across production and supply chains. Although chromatographic methods such as GC-MS and LC-MS/MS remain essential for confirmatory analysis, their dependence on central laboratories limits their applicability for field screening. Consequently, portable biosensor-based detection platforms have attracted increasing attention as rapid screening tools. This review synthesizes 26 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025 on portable biosensor-based screening tools for pesticide detection in food and agricultural matrices, including electrochemical sensors, immunoassays, aptamer-based systems, paper-based lateral flow devices, and smartphone-assisted platforms. Given the heterogeneity of analytes, sensing mechanisms, and study designs, a narrative synthesis approach was applied. Overall, the evidence suggests a shift from laboratory-centered detection toward field-deployable technologies that may support preliminary screening within food safety monitoring frameworks. Paper-based lateral flow assays are widely reported as deployable formats, while electrochemical and affinity-based platforms are often positioned as intermediate solutions for mobile or semi-controlled testing environments. However, most platforms remain at the proof-of-concept or early validation stage, and challenges related to matrix interference, long-term stability, reproducibility, standardization, and large-scale implementation persist. This review highlights the potential role of portable biosensor technologies as complementary tools within tiered food safety monitoring systems and outlines key priorities for further development before wider regulatory integration can be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rapid Detection Technology for Food Safety and Quality)
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