Ligand Engineering for Selective Spoilage Detection in Food Safety

The development of smart packaging technologies has introduced innovative approaches to real-time food spoilage detection. Among these, gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have emerged as highly sensitive and biocompatible materials due to their unique photoluminescent properties and molecular-like behavior. This review explores the role of ligand engineering in enhancing the selectivity of AuNCs toward key spoilage gases such as ammonia (NH۳), hydrogen sulfide (H۲S), and trimethylamine (TMA). By employing diverse ligands including proteins, peptides, DNA, and polyphenols AuNCs can be tailored for specific gas recognition, enabling fluorescence-based detection mechanisms. The integration of AuNCs into biodegradable packaging films offers a non-invasive, eco-friendly solution for freshness monitoring. Comparative analysis with conventional nanomaterials highlights the superior photostability, selectivity, and sustainability of AuNCs. Despite current challenges in synthesis scalability and regulatory frameworks, ligand-engineered AuNCs represent a promising frontier in nanotechnology-driven food safety and biosensing applications. Future research should focus on hybrid nanostructures and advanced sensor platforms to accelerate their industrial deployment.

کلیدواژه ها:

Gold Nanoclusters (AuNCs) ، Ligand Engineering ، Smart Packaging ، Spoilage Detection ، Ammonia (NH۳) ، Hydrogen Sulfide (H۲S) ، Trimethylamine (TMA) ، Fluorescence Sensing ، Biodegradable Films ، Food Safety ، Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)