Recently, researchers from Meat Science and Nutrition Engineering Innovation Team at the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IFST-CAAS), systematically reviewed the latest advancements in the application of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) for food safety detection. The research findings were published in Trends in Food Science & Technology (JCR Q1, IF=15.1), Song Guangchun, a GSCAAS-ULg PhD student, is the first author, Prof. Zhang Dequan is the corresponding author. The research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2100500) and the Key Program from National Natural Science Foundation of China (32030086).

Traditional food safety testing methods have the problem of lagging results. Therefore, development of portable, rapid, and intelligent detection technologies is critical. In recent years, LDHs have emerged as a research hotspot in food safety due to their large specific surface area, excellent stability, simple synthesis methods, and low cost.

This research comprehensively analyzed the progress of LDHs-based materials in food safety detection. It elucidated the origin and regulatory mechanisms of LDHs catalytic activity, revealing how factors such as interlayer metal composition and anion species modulate catalytic performance. Additionally, the research detailed the application of LDHs-constructed colorimetric, fluorescent, and electrochemical detection methods for identifying typical food contaminants, including heavy metal ions, pesticide residues, and mycotoxins. The advantages of LDHs in achieving high selectivity and tunability were thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, the study provided a forward-looking perspective on future trends and challenges for LDHs-based detection technologies in food safety, such as the rational design of LDHs with enhanced catalytic activity and sensitivity, cross-disciplinary integration with additive manufacturing, and collaborative development of AI-driven high-throughput detection platforms.

This research offers novel insights into the innovation of food safety detection methods and expands the potential for industrial applications of LDHs.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2025.105051

Schematic diagram of the characteristics, synthesis methods, and detection applications of LDHs