Nanomaterial-based sensors for food monitoring

Food monitoring has received significant global attention because of possible contamination by chemical and microbial species. Nanomaterials with outstanding physico-chemical and electronic properties have been explored as promising candidates for the development of nanomaterials-based sensors for food monitoring applications. The integration of nanomaterials with analytical techniques (e.g. spectroscopic, electrochemical and mass spectrometry) offers new opportunities to identify molecular and microbial species in food samples. Importantly, analytical features (selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision) of optical spectroscopic techniques have greatly improved by using nanomaterials as sensors for food monitoring applications. Certain challenges in conventional analytical methods have been addressed by integrating nanomaterials with analytical techniques, thereby leading to the development of a facile, rapid and portable analytical device for food analysis applications. This themed collection will highlight state-of-the-art research on nanomaterials-based sensors for food monitoring applications, with an emphasis on nanomaterials-based colorimetric, fluorometric, electrochemical and other emerging analytical platforms for food analysis. The journal seeks submissions of high-quality research articles and reviews on the latest advances and insights on these topics of imminent interest.

We welcome articles on the following topics:

• Nanomaterials-based colorimetric and fluorometric sensors for food contaminant detection
• Nanomaterials-based electrochemical sensors for food quality monitoring
• Other emerging nanomaterial-based sensing techniques for food monitoring
• Integration of nanomaterials with lateral flow assays for rapid and on-site food analysis
• Integration of nanomaterials with microfluidic devices for food analysis
• Advanced sample preparation using nanomaterials
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches in nanomaterials-based sensors for real-time food analysis

This collection aims to serve as a reference point for researchers, technologists, and industry professionals seeking to advance the field of nanotechnology-based food monitoring systems.

You are welcome to submit articles on the above mentioned themes. Sensors & Diagnostics publishes high-quality innovative research in the field of sensors as well as diagnostics, molecular imaging and molecular therapeutics. For more information on the journal scope, standards, article types and author guidelines, please visit Sensors & Diagnostics.

If you would like to contribute to this themed issue, you can submit your article directly at rsc.li/sensors and inform the editorial office by emailing our team. Please mention that this submission is a contribution to ‘Nanomaterial-Based Sensors for Food Monitoring”, in the ‘Themed issues’ section of the submission form and add a ‘Note to the Editor’ that this is from the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed.

Please note that all submissions are subject to the journal’s normal peer review processes, with an initial assessment to confirm the manuscript's suitability for full peer review. If you have any questions about the journal or the collection, please email us. We would be happy to answer them.