From scalable manufacturing to portable instrumentation: Integrated microfluidic systems for on-site food hazard...

Microfluidic technologies hold immense promise for food safety monitoring yet struggle to transition from laboratory prototypes to commercial products. Existing reviews predominantly focus on sensing performance metrics while neglecting the critical barriers impeding real world deployment. This review provides a critical analysis of the discrepancy between reported laboratory efficiencies and actual field applicability. We argue that the primary bottleneck has shifted from sensor sensitivity to system integration and manufacturing scalability. Specifically, we examine the limitations of off-chip pretreatment, reagent instability in complex food matrices, and the lack of standardized readout interfaces. Unlike previous works that merely catalog technological advances, this article proposes a concrete roadmap for commercialization. We evaluate strategies such as design for manufacturability, modular platform architectures, and industry-academia collaborations to overcome cost and regulatory hurdles. Our analysis concludes that future progress depends less on novel material discovery and more on holistic engineering solutions that address economic and regulatory constraints. This perspective offers a pragmatic guide for researchers and stakeholders aiming to realize the full potential of microfluidic food safety sensors.