Background

Pathogenic bacterial infections have become a global concern for safety, and pathogens in food-related matrices can cause a wide range of diseases (e.g., common cold, asthma, influenza, tuberculosis, anthrax and pneumonia). Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the accuracy of monitoring pathogenic bacteria levels in the food-related matrices. However, traditional detection methods are often complex and time-consuming. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials-based fluorescent assays have been widely used by researchers due to their high fluorescence intensity, stability, low cost, high sensitivity and selectivity.

Scope and approach

To promote further development in this field, we review here the identification of nanomaterials with pathogenic bacteria based on fluorescent assays and the progress of research on the detection of pathogenic bacteria using functionalized nanoparticles (gold nanomaterials, silver nanomaterials, quantum dots, upconversion nanomaterials, magnetic nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials and metal-organic frameworks/covalent organic frameworks). Finally, we discuss the shortcomings of fluorescent assays and provide current challenges and prospects for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in food-related matrices.

Key finds and conclusions

The use of nanomaterials-based fluorescent assays in the detection of pathogenic bacteria has broken the limitations of traditional methods, resulting in much shorter detection time and much higher detection sensitivity. However, detection applications are still at the laboratory stage, and future research should focus on the development of high-throughput detection techniques and portable or visual fluorescent sensors for commercial and industrial applications. We envision that this review will contribute to the development of more sensitive, accurate and convenient nanomaterials-based fluorescent assays for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in food-related matrices for food and public safety.