Research progress of photoelectrochemical sensors in food detection

Food is the basic of the people, security is the basic of the food. As the quality of life improves, food safety has emerged as a global concern, making the development of simple, rapid, and efficient food safety detection methods critically important. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors are a novel class of sensors developed in recent years that integrate photoelectric technology with biosensing. Owing to their high sensitivity, simple design, low cost, and ease of miniaturization, PEC sensors have found widespread applications in food detection, bioanalysis, clinical diagnostics, and environmental protection. This paper reviews the development of PEC sensors, the basic principles of PEC sensor detection, and the electron transport pathways of semiconductor materials in PEC sensors. It focuses on how photoelectroactive materials and related signal amplification strategies can improve the detection performance of the sensors, as well as the latest research advances of PEC sensors in the detection of food toxins. Finally, the challenges and future trends of PEC sensors in food safety detection are discussed.