Advances in Nanozyme Catalysis for Food Safety Detection: A Comprehensive Review on Progress and Challenges

The prosperity of enzyme-mimicking catalysis has promoted the development of nanozymes with diversified activities, mainly including catalase-like, oxidase-like, peroxidase-like, and superoxide dismutase-like characteristics. Thus far, the reported nanozymes can be roughly divided into five categories, comprising noble metals, metal oxides, carbon-based nanostructures, metal-organic frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks. This review systematically summarizes the research progress of nanozymes for improving catalytic activity toward sensing applications in food safety monitoring. Specifically, we highlight the unique advantages of nanozymes in enhancing the performance of colorimetric, fluorescence, and electrochemical sensors, which are crucial for detecting various food contaminants. Moreover, this review addresses the challenges faced in food safety detection, such as the need for high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability under complex food matrices. Nanozymes offer promising solutions by providing robust catalytic activity, adjustable enzyme-like properties, and excellent stability, even in harsh environments. However, practical implementation challenges remain, including the need for a deeper understanding of nanozyme catalytic mechanisms, improving substrate selectivity, and ensuring long-term stability and large-scale production. By focusing on these aspects, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of nanozyme-based sensors for food safety detection and to inspire future research directions.