From materials to systems: recent advances on electrochemical sensors for capsaicin detection

As the primary bioactive component in chili peppers, capsaicin has garnered widespread application value in the food industry and medical field due to its unique pungent characteristics. However, the physiological effects of capsaicin exhibit significant concentration dependence, and excessive intake may lead to adverse effects on the body. Thus, developing an efficient and accurate method for capsaicin detection is crucial. Among various capsaicin detection methods, electrochemical sensors have gained significant attention due to their rapid response, convenience, high sensitivity and ease of miniaturization and automation. Nevertheless, bare sensing electrodes often exhibit low sensitivity and slow reaction rates. The common strategy is to modify the electrodes using electrochemical functionalization materials, such as carbon nanomaterials, metal-carbon matrix composites, and polymer materials. In this review, the research progress on various sensing materials used for high-performance electrochemical sensors for capsaicin detection is summarized. Also, we evaluated the performance and advantages of current electrochemical sensors for capsaicin detection, which will provide reference and valuable strategies for the development of capsaicin electrochemical sensors.