Electrochemical Biosensors for Food Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

Food quality and safety are core pillars of public health, food industry sustainability, and global food security. Traditional food analysis methods (e.g., high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) often suffer from limitations such as high cost, complex sample pretreatment, long detection cycles, and reliance on professional laboratory settings, leading to them struggling to meet wider demand for the rapid, on-site, and real-time monitoring of food production, processing, storage, and circulation.

Electrochemical biosensors, integrating the high specificity of biological recognition elements (e.g., enzymes, antibodies, aptamers, microorganisms) with the high sensitivity, fast response, low cost, and miniaturization potential of electrochemical detection, have emerged as a revolutionary technology in food analysis. In recent years, breakthroughs in nanomaterial modification (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal-organic frameworks), signal amplification strategies (e.g., catalytic labeling, nucleic acid amplification), and portable device integration have further expanded the application scenarios of electrochemical biosensors, covering the detection of foodborne pathogens, pesticide/veterinary drug residues, heavy metal ions, mycotoxins, nutrient components (e.g., proteins, vitamins), and food additives.

This Special Issue will gather cutting-edge research, critical reviews, and technical breakthroughs in the field of electrochemical biosensors for food analysis to systematically reflect the latest progress, challenges, and future directions of this discipline. The key topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Design, synthesis, and functional modification of novel electrode materials for food-targeted electrochemical biosensors;
• Development and optimization of high-specificity biological recognition elements (e.g., recombinant antibodies, aptamers, molecularly imprinted polymers) for food analytes;
• Innovation of signal amplification and anti-interference strategies for electrochemical biosensors in complex food matrices (e.g., oil, dairy products, fruits, vegetables);
• Integration of electrochemical biosensors with portable/miniaturized devices (e.g., smartphone-based detectors, strip sensors) for on-site food analysis;
• Application validation of electrochemical biosensors in real food samples (e.g., detection of Salmonella in meat, ochratoxin A in cereals, chlorpyrifos in vegetables);
• Mechanistic studies on the interaction between biological recognition elements and food analytes, as well as the structure–activity relationship of biosensor performance;
• Perspectives and reviews on industrialization potential, standardization, and regulatory challenges related to electrochemical biosensors in the food industry.

By bringing together contributions from researchers, engineers, and practitioners in academia and industry, this Special Issue will not only provide a high-quality academic platform for knowledge exchange but also promote the translation of electrochemical biosensor technology from laboratory research to practical applications in food safety supervision and food quality control. We believe that it will play a positive role in advancing the development of global food analysis and biosensing.

Dr. Quanguo He
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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.

• food quality
• food safety
• freshness
• spoilage
• food tracking
• food monitoring
• electrochemical detection
• sensing materials
• smart materials
• biosensors
• sensors
• shelves life