Biosensor Applications in Food Safety and Quality Monitoring

Dear Colleagues,

The assurance of food safety and the maintenance of high food quality are paramount global challenges, directly impacting public health, economic stability, and consumer trust. Traditional methods for detecting contaminants, pathogens, and quality indicators, while reliable, often face limitations in terms of analysis time, cost, portability, and the need for specialized personnel. There is, therefore, an urgent and continuous demand for innovative analytical tools that can deliver rapid, sensitive, specific, and on-site results.

In this context, biosensor technology has emerged as a revolutionary force in food science and technology. By integrating a biological recognition element (e.g., enzyme, antibody, nucleic acid, aptamer, or whole cell) with a physicochemical transducer, biosensors offer unparalleled advantages for the real-time and decentralized monitoring of food matrices. The convergence of nanotechnology, materials science, and microengineering has further propelled the development of biosensors, leading to significant enhancements in their sensitivity, selectivity, and multiplexing capabilities.

This Special Issue, "Biosensor Applications in Food Safety and Quality Monitoring", aims to curate a collection of high-quality research papers and review articles that highlight the latest breakthroughs and future trends in this dynamic field. We seek to explore the entire spectrum of biosensor development and application, from fundamental design and novel bioreceptor discovery to robust validation in complex food samples and practical implementation in the supply chain.

We invite contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

1. Novel Biosensing Platforms: Development of electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, and thermal biosensors; paper-based and wearable biosensors; lab-on-a-chip and microfluidic devices.
2. Advanced Biorecognition Elements: Discovery and engineering of aptamers, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), recombinant antibodies, peptides, and phage-based probes.
3. Nanomaterial-Enhanced Biosensing: Utilization of graphene, carbon nanotubes, metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles, quantum dots, and upconversion nanoparticles to amplify signals and improve biosensor performance.
4. Applications in Food Safety: Rapid detection of foodborne pathogens (e.g., Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli), mycotoxins, pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, heavy metals, and allergens.
5. Applications in Food Quality Control: Monitoring of freshness indicators (e.g., biogenic amines, ATP), nutritional components, authenticity, adulteration, and genetic modifications.
6. Point-of-Need/Use Biosensors: Designs for in-field testing, at processing plants, in retail environments, or even by consumers themselves.
7. Multiplexed and High-Throughput Systems: Platforms capable of simultaneous detection of multiple analytes for comprehensive food profiling.

We believe that this Special Issue will serve as a critical reference for researchers, industry professionals, and regulators, fostering innovation and collaboration to build a safer and more transparent global food system. We look forward to receiving your cutting-edge research.

Dr. Xiangmei Li
Guest Editor

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.

• biosensor
• food safety
• food quality
• rapid detection
• pathogen
• mycotoxin
• aptasensor
• electrochemical biosensor
• optical biosensor
• point-of-care testing