Applications of advanced materials in the pretreatment and rapid detection of small molecules in foods: A review

The accurate and rapid detection of trace small molecules such as pesticides and veterinary drug residues, illegal additives, mycotoxins, and antibiotics is significant in current food chemistry research. Developing efficient sample pretreatment and rapid detection techniques for trace small molecules follows the development goals of on-site food detection. In recent years, emerging advanced materials with their unique physicochemical properties are being gradually used for sample pretreatment and the rapid detection of trace small molecules in food, offering great potential for application. In this review, we present a comprehensive review of the research progress of metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, molecularly imprinted polymers, carbon-based nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives, and graphitic carbon nitride), and aerogels, which have been widely reported in recent years, for the pretreatment and rapid detection of trace small molecules in applications such as food safety and nutrition. This review highlights and advances the existing problems of applying various advanced materials and potential solutions. Key findings and conclusions: In the field of trace small-molecule rapid detection in food, advanced materials have been mainly used as functional carriers, electrode modification materials, recognition groups, nano-bionic enzymes, and bionic antibodies in common rapid detection techniques such as immunoassays, electrochemical analysis, and fluorescence sensing analysis, effectively improving the sensitivity and sensing performance of the analysis technique. Further application of effective pretreatment techniques for the front-end processing of rapid detection techniques is a significant breakthrough for realizing rapid on-site detection of trace small molecules in foods. [Display omitted] •The first systematic review of the applications of advanced materials in the pretreatment and rapid detection of small molecules in foods.•Advantages and limitations of advanced materials and enhancing the sensitivity of the analysis techniques are discussed.•Emerging pretreatment and rapid detection techniques can enhance the analytical performance of trace small molecules.•Advancements, challenges, and perspectives of advanced materials in trace small-molecule detection in foods.