Computer simulation of submicron fluid flows in microfluidic chips and their applications in food analysis

In recent years, countries around the world have maintained a zero-tolerance attitude toward safety problems in the food industry. In order to ensure human health, a fast, sensitive, and high-throughput analysis of food contaminants is necessary to ensure safe food products on the market. Microfluidics, as a high-efficiency and sensitive detection technology, has many advantages in the detection of food contaminants, including foodborne pathogens, pesticides, heavy metal ions, toxic substances, and so forth, especially in conjunction with a variety of submicron fluid driving methods, making food detection and analysis more efficient and accurate. This review introduces the principle of submicron fluid driving modes and discusses the driving simulation of submicron fluid in microfluidic chips. In addition, the latest developments in the application of simulation in food analysis from 2006 to 2020 are discussed, and the computer simulation of submicron fluid flow in microfluidic chips and its application and development trend in food analysis are also highlighted. The review indicates that microfluidic technology, using numerical simulation as an auxiliary tool, combined with traditional methods has greatly improved the detection and analysis of food products. In addition, microfluidics combined with a variety of control methods embodies the ability of specific, multifunctional, and sensitive detection and analysis of food products. The development of high-sensitivity, high-throughput, portable, integrated microfluidic chips will enable the technology to be applied in practice.