Fluorescent Metal Nanoclusters for Food Sample Analysis

The growing concern over food safety due to the presence of chemical and biological contaminants has become a critical global issue, necessitating the development of advanced, reliable, and sensitive detection technologies. Metal nanoclusters (MNCs), because of their ultra-small size, remarkable photoluminescence, tunable surface chemistry, and biocompatibility, have emerged as promising nanomaterials for the development of highly selective and efficient sensing platforms for detecting various contaminants in complex food matrices. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in MNC-based sensing systems for food safety monitoring. It highlights key synthesis strategies, particularly the use of diverse capping ligands to tune the physicochemical and sensing properties of MNCs. Detailed discussions are presented on the detection of various food contaminants, including pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, antibiotic residues, and mycotoxins, along with the associated sensing mechanisms.