Discrimination of multiplex pesticides using a multienzyme-like metal-organic framework nanozyme

Pesticide residues pose a serious threat to public health, necessitating the development of rapid and reliable analytical methods to ensure food safety. To achieve simultaneous discrimination of multiple pesticides, a novel Cu/Ce-MOF nanozyme with multienzyme-like activities (including peroxidase-, oxidase-, and laccase-like activities) was synthesized. By exploiting the differential regulatory effects of various pesticides on these activities, a three-channel sensing array was established, enabling the simultaneous discrimination of six pesticides, with a minimum discriminating concentration of 0.5 μg/mL. The sensor array exhibited a wide discriminating concentration range (0.5-35 μg/mL) and successfully discriminated complex pesticide mixtures, including structurally similar compounds such as glyphosate and glufosinate ammonium. Moreover, the method exhibited excellent anti-interference capability and strong applicability to real samples (corn, oat, and jujube). This approach provided a simple and efficient strategy for identifying multiple pesticides, offering substantial potential for strengthening food safety supervision.