Recent advances in reticular frameworks and allied composite materials for ultrasensitive optical detection of biogenic and volatile amines in food spoilage monitoring

Abstract

Food spoilage arising from protein degradation and microbial activities leads to the release of biogenic amines (BAs) and volatile amines (VAs), which compromise its quality and pose health hazards. Conventional chromatographic techniques for monitoring BAs and VAs, for example, HPLC, GC and spectrometry-based methods, although accurate, are often costly and time-consuming and require sophisticated instrumentation and skilled operation, limiting their suitability for rapid and on-site detection. In contrast, reticular frameworks, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and coordination polymers (CPs), have emerged over the past decade as promising optical probes for the detection of BAs and VAs, offering rapid response, operational simplicity, cost-effectiveness, excellent sensitivity through tunable host–guest interactions, and intriguing luminescence properties. In this review article, we first present an overview of the general chemistry and toxicological impacts of BAs and VAs, highlighting the urgent need for efficient amine detection strategies. Next, we outline the fundamentals of reticular chemistry, including design principles, controlling factors and synthetic strategies, that establish MOFs/CPs as robust sensing platforms. Subsequently, a dedicated section underscores optical detection mechanisms (fluorometric and colorimetric), alongside host–guest charge transfer and electron transfer principles. Thereafter, we vividly analyze recent MOFs/CPs and their composite materials, reported between 2015 and 2025, for detecting BAs and VAs, emphasizing their contribution to food quality monitoring. To conclude, we propose future avenues, integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and portable robotics with reticular materials to enhance real-world viability. Overall, this perspective article aims to provide specialists with a technical account of recent advances while enabling non-experts to grasp the fundamentals of sustainable food safety solutions.