Enzyme-Like Metal-Organic Frameworks in Polymeric Membranes for Efficient Removal of Aflatoxin B1

Construction of carbon-doped iron-based nanozyme for efficient adsorption and degradation to synergistic removal of aflatoxin B1

The multifunctional composites Fe3O4/GO/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) with excellent adsorption-degradation performance was prepared for the removal of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The adsorption function of Fe3O4/GO/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) was based on the large specific surface area and abundant adsorption sites. The degradation function of Fe3O4/GO/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) was based on the activation of H2O2 by the catalytic active center formed by the coordination of metal ions and oxygen-containing groups in the system, resulting in hydroxyl radicals (·OH), superoxide anion radicals (O2-) and singlet oxygen (1O2). The adsorption of nanozyme accelerated the degradation reaction process, and the adsorption site was further exposed as the degradation process progressed. The synergistic effect realized the efficient removal of AFB1. Construction of Fe3O4/GO/NH2-MIL-53(Fe) as the carbon-doped iron-based nanozyme provided novel approaches of the removal for risks control of AFB1. Accompanied by the AFB1 adsorption, the advanced oxidation of nanozyme to the AFB1 degradation provided a promising way for the synergistic removal of AFB1.

A Bioinspired Single-Atom Fe Nanozyme with Excellent Laccase-Like Activity for Efficient Aflatoxin B1 Removal

The applications of natural laccases are greatly restricted because of their drawbacks like poor biostability, high costs, and low recovery efficiency. M/NC single atom nanozymes (M/NC SAzymes) are presenting as great substitutes due to their superior enzyme-like activity, excellent selectivity and high stability. In this work, inspired by the catalytic active center of natural enzyme, a biomimetic Fe/NC SAzyme (Fe-SAzyme) with O2-Fe-N4 coordination is successfully developed, exhibiting excellent laccase-like activity. Compared with their natural counterpart, Fe-SAzyme has shown superior catalytic efficiency and excellent stability under a wide range of pH (3.0-9.0), temperature (4-80 °C) and NaCl strength (0-300 mm). Interestingly, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the high catalytic performance is attributed to the activation of O2 by O2-Fe-N4 sites, which weakened the O─O bonds in the oxygen-to-water oxidation pathway. Furthermore, Fe-SAzyme is successfully applied for efficient aflatoxin B1 removal based on its robust laccase-like catalytic activity. This work provides a strategy for the rational design of laccase-like SAzymes, and the proposed catalytic mechanism will help to understand the coordination environment effect of SAzymes on laccase-like catalytic processes.

Tempospatially Confined Catalytic Membranes for Advanced Water Remediation

The application of homogeneous catalysts in water remediation is limited by their excessive chemical and energy input, weak regenerability, and potential leaching. Heterogeneous catalytic membranes (CMs) offer a new approach to facilitate efficient, selective, and continuous pollutant degradation. Thus, integrating membranes and continuous filtration with heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can promote thermodynamic and kinetic mass transfers in spatially confined intrapores and facilitate diffusion-reaction processes. Despite the remarkable advantages of heterogeneous CMs, their engineering application is practically restricted due to the fuzzy design criteria for specific applications. Herein, the recent advances in CMs for advanced water remediation are critically reviewed and the design flow for tempospatially confined CMs is proposed. Further, state-of-the-art CM materials and their catalytic mechanisms are reviewed, after which the tempospatial confinement mechanisms comprising the nanoconfinement effect, interface effect, and kinetic mass transfer are emphasized, thus clarifying their roles in the construction and performance optimization of CMs. Additionally, the fabrication methods for CMs based on their catalysts and pore sizes are summarized and an overview of their application and performance evaluations is presented. Finally, future directions for CMs in materials research and water treatment, are presented.

A sensitive bimetallic copper/bismuth metal-organic frameworks-based aptasensors for zearalenone detection in foodstuffs

Electrochemical aptasensors have emerged as promising platforms for effectivelydetection of various target analytes. Here, we developed a sensitive and selective electrochemical aptasensor for zearalenone (ZEN) determination based on a bimetallic organic framework (CuBi-BPDC). The results of HR-TEM, FE-SEM, XPS, etc. indicate the CuBi-BPDC possessing mixed nodes of Cu(II) and Bi(III) and multilayered nanosheets bearing nanoparticles. Due to its improved electrochemical activity and strong affinity for aptamers, the CuBi-BPDC-based aptasensor obtains a low limit of detection of 0.19 fg mL-1 (IUPAC S/N = 3) in a wide range of 1 fg mL-1-10 ng mL-1 via EIS and 0.73 fg mL-1 from 0 fg mL-1 to 1 × 107 fg mL-1 via DPV for ZEN detection, respectively. Moreover, the excellent selectivity allows this aptasensor to specifically identify ZEN from other interfering substances in raw milk and rice, indicating the potential applicability of the CuBi-BPDC-based aptasensor in sensitive and selective detection of ZEN.

Activate hydrogen peroxide for facile and efficient removal of aflatoxin B1 by magnetic Pd-chitosan/rice husk-hercynite biocomposite and its impact on the quality of edible oil

Due to the high heat and chemical stability of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) with significant impacts on humans/animals and thus it needs to develop a practical and efficient approach for its removal. Herein, we fabricated a magnetic Pd-chitosan/glutaraldehyde/rice husk/hercynite (Pd@CRH-x) composite for efficient detoxification of AFB1. The Pd@CRH-x was obtained by a simple wet-impregnation procedure of CRH complexes followed by pyrolysis. The results confirmed that the unique structure of Pd@CRH-400 effectively improves dispersity, and mass transfer subsequently enhancing removal efficiency in batch conditions. Results indicate 94.30 % of AFB1 was efficiently degraded by 0.1 mg mL-1 Pd@CRH-400 with 4.0 mM H2O2 at wide pH ranges (3.0-10) at 60 min with a decomposition rate constant of 0.0467 min-1. Besides, by comparing the quality factors of edible oil (i.e., acid value, peroxide value, iodine value, moisture, volatile matters, anisidine value, and fatty acid composition), it was confirmed that there was no obvious influence on the physicochemical indicators of edible oil after removal/storage process. Subsequently, the systematic kinetic study and AFB1 degradation mechanism were presented. This study provides a new strategy for the efficient construction of controllable and dispersed Pd-based catalysts using CRH-x as a spatial support for alleviating the risk of toxic pollutants.

Target-Induced Electrochemical Sensor Based on Foldable Aptamer and MoS2@MWCNTs-PEI for Enhanced Detection of AFB1 in Peanuts

Herein, a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor based on aptamer folding was constructed to detect aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in peanuts. Specifically, polyethylenimine-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2@MWCNTs-PEI) were used as the electrode matrix to enable a large specific surface area, which were characterized by the Randles-Sevcik equation. Additionally, AuNPs were used to immobilize the aptamer via the Au-S covalent bond and provide a favorable microenvironment for signal enhancement. Methylene blue (MB) was modified at the proximal 3' termini of the aptamer as the capture probe, while the signal transduction of the sensor was obtained through changes in conformation and position of MB induced by the binding between AFB1 and the probe. Changes in spatial conformation could be recorded by electrochemical methods more readily. This electrochemical aptasensor demonstrated remarkable sensitivity to AFB1 with an extensive detection range (1 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL) and a lower limit detection (1.0 × 10-3 ng/mL). Moreover, using the constructed aptasensor, AFB1 was identified successfully in peanut samples, with recoveries ranging from 95.83 to 107.53%, illustrating its potential use in determining AFB1 in food.

Superparamagnetic MnFe alloy composite derived from cross-bindered of chitosan/rice husk waste/iron aluminate spinel hercynite for rapid catalytic detoxification of aflatoxin B1: Structure, performance and synergistic mechanism

The contamination of foodstuffs with aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) as carcinogen/mutagens toxin produced by Aspergillus fungi that are a major threat to the economy, safe food supply, and human health. To, we present a facile wet-impregnation and co-participation strategies for the construction of a novel superparamagnetic MnFe biocomposite (MF@CRHHT), in which dual metal oxides MnFe were anchored in/on agricultural/forestry residues (chitosan/rice husk waste/hercynite hybrid nanoparticles) and applied for rapid AFB1 detoxification by destroying in a non-thermal/microbial way. Structure, and morphology were comprehensively characterized by various spectroscopic analyses. The AFB1 removal in PMS/MF@CRHHT system followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and exhibited excellent efficiency (99.3 % in 20 min and 83.1 % in 5.0 min) over a broad pH range (5.0-10.0). Importantly, relationship between high efficiency and physical-chemical properties, and mechanistic insight reveals that the synergistic effect could be related to the formation MnFe bond in MF@CRHHT and then mutual electron transfer between them to enhanced electron density and generate reactive oxygen species. An AFB1 decontamination pathway proposed was based on the free radical quenching experiments and analysis of the degradation intermediates. Thus, the MF@CRHHT can be applied as an efficient, cost-effective, recoverable, environment-friendly and highly efficient biomass-based activator for remediate pollution.

Biodegradation of Aflatoxin B1 in Peanut Oil by an Amphipathic Laccase-Inorganic Hybrid Nanoflower

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) contamination is an important issue for the safety of edible oils. Enzymatic degradation is a promising approach for removing mycotoxins in a specific, efficient, and green manner. However, enzymatic degradation of mycotoxins in edible oil is challenging as a result of the low activity and stability of the enzyme. Herein, a novel strategy was proposed to degrade AFB₁ in peanut oil using an amphipathic laccase-inorganic hybrid nanoflower (Lac NF-P) as a biocatalyst. Owing to the improved microenvironment of the enzymatic reaction and the enhanced stability of the enzyme structure, the proposed amphipathic Lac NF-P showed 134- and 3.2-fold increases in the degradation efficiency of AFB₁ in comparison to laccase and Lac NF, respectively. AFB₁ was removed to less than 0.96 μg/kg within 3 h when using Lac NF-P as a catalyst in the peanut oil, with the AFB₁ concentration ranging from 50 to 150 μg/kg. Moreover, the quality of the peanut oil had no obvious change, and no leakage of catalyst was observed after the treatment of Lac NF-P. In other words, our study may open an avenue for the development of a novel biocatalyst for the detoxification of mycotoxins in edible oils.

Advanced mycotoxin control and decontamination techniques in view of an increased aflatoxin risk in Europe due to climate change

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. found in staple food and feed commodities worldwide. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic, and pose a serious threat to the health of both humans and animals. The global economy and trade are significantly affected as well. Various models and datasets related to aflatoxins in maize have been developed and used but have not yet been linked. The prevention of crop loss due to aflatoxin contamination is complex and challenging. Hence, the set-up of advanced decontamination is crucial to cope with the challenge of climate change, growing population, unstable political scenarios, and food security problems also in European countries. After harvest, decontamination methods can be applied during transport, storage, or processing, but their application for aflatoxin reduction is still limited. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the effects of environmental factors on aflatoxin production because of climate change and to critically discuss the present-day and novel decontamination techniques to unravel gaps and limitations to propose them as a tool to tackle an increased aflatoxin risk in Europe.

Metal-organic frameworks with peroxidase-like activity for efficient removal of aflatoxin B1

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), a naturally produced toxin existing in major food crops, is highly toxic and carcinogenic to human and animals. In this study, a reusable material, Pd@PCN-222 with great adsorption performance and peroxidase-like activity was synthesized for the removal of AFB₁. Pd@PCN-222 exhibited great adsorption performance owing to hierarchical porous structure. Pd@PCN-222 also could catalyze the AFB₁ in the presence of H₂O₂ due to the Fe-tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin and Pd as effective peroxidase active site, which improved the removal efficiency of AFB₁. Pd@PCN-222 was applied for the removal of AFB₁ with a removal rate of 96.52% in 2 h. Owing to the advantages of high removal efficiency and reusability, Pd@PCN-222 had great application potential in AFB₁ removal.

Removal of Contaminants from Water by Membrane Filtration: A Review

Drinking water sources are increasingly subject to various types of contamination due to anthropogenic factors and require proper treatment to remove disease-causing agents. Public drinking water systems use different treatment methods to provide safe and quality drinking water to populations. However, they are ineffective in removing contaminants that are considered a danger to the environment and therefore to humans. Several alternative treatment processes have been proposed, such as membrane filtration, as final purification methods. This paper aims to summarize the type of pollutant compounds, filtration processes, and membranes that have been most studied in this area with particular emphasis on how the modification of membranes, either the manufacturing process or the incorporation of nanomaterials, influences their performance.

Versatile metal-organic frameworks as a catalyst and an indicator of nitric oxide

The imaging of nitric oxide (NO) and its donors is crucial to explore NO-related physiological and pathological processes. In this work, we demonstrate the use of Cu-based metal-organic frameworks (Cu-MOFs) as nanoprobes for NO detection and as a catalyst for the generation of NO from the biologically occurring substrate, S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs). The paramagnetic Cu²⁺ in the MOFs could quench the luminescence of triphenylamine; Cu-MOFs only exhibited weak emission at 450 nm. Upon the addition of NO, the paramagnetic Cu²⁺ was reduced to diamagnetic Cu⁺, and thus the luminescence was recovered directly. Cu-MOFs exhibited high selectivity for other species in the reaction system, including NO₂^-, H₂O₂, AA, NO₃^- and ¹O₂. More significantly, the Cu⁺ can react with s-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), s-nitrosocysteine (CysNO), and s-nitrosocysteamine (CysamNO) to generate NO and then oxidize to Cu²⁺-MOFs with quenched luminescence, respectively, and thus the catalysis is inhibited, noted as a self-controlled process. The Cu-MOFs catalyst was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction to remain structurally intact in aqueous environments. The Cu-MOFs have been successfully employed in the biological imaging of NO in living cells. The bifunctional MOFs could offer a novel platform for the real-time monitoring of NO species, provide potential for exploiting NO in cancer therapy and improve the methodologies to elucidate the NO-related biological processes.

Artificial Monovalent Metal Ion-Selective Fluidic Devices Based on Crown Ether@Metal-Organic Frameworks with Subnanochannels

Precise regulation of ion transport through nanoscale pores will profoundly impact diverse fields from separation to energy conversion but is still challenging to achieve in artificial ion channels. Herein, inspired by the exquisite ion selectivity of biological Na⁺ channels, we have successfully fabricated hierarchically grown metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on an asymmetrical substrate assisted by atomically thin nanoporous graphene. Efficient separation of monovalent metal ions is realized by encapsulating 18-crown-6 into MOF crystals. The resulting 18-crown-6@ZIF-67/ZIF-8 device, with subnanochannels and specific K⁺ binding sites, shows an ultrahigh Li⁺ conductivity of 1.46 × 10^-2 S cm^-1 and selectivities of 9.56 and 6.43 for Li⁺/K⁺ and Na⁺/K⁺, respectively. The Li⁺ conductivity is around 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than reported values for the other MOF materials. It is the first time that MOFs with subnanochannels realize selective transport of Na⁺ (ionic diameter of 1.9 Å) over K⁺ (2.6 Å) based on subangstrom differences in their ionic diameter. Our work opens new avenues to develop crown ether@MOF platforms toward efficient ion transistors, fluidic logic devices, and biosensors.

Obtention of biochar-Ca nanoparticles using Citrus tangerina׃ A morphological, surface and study remotion of Aflatoxin AFB1

This work presents the formation of biochar with calcium nanoparticles (NPsCa) in function of pyrolysis time (C10, C30, C60, C120 and C180 min) using the Citrus tangerina peel and their evaluation in the remotion of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in aqueous phase. Firstly, the Citrus tangerina was studied by Thermogravimetric analysis to determine the optimal temperature (TGA), obtaining a result of 600 °C. The biochar (NPsCa) were characterized by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), as well as surface properties including the identification of functional groups by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), and energetic states through the X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The adsorption studies were carried out on the different materials and later, the experimental data was adjusted to different mathematical models, obtaining the best fit of the kinetic data to the Ho-McKay model, whilst the adsorption isotherms were adjusted to the model of Langmuir, which indicates that the Aflatoxin B1 adsorption process is carried out through a monolayer chemisorption process with maximum sorption capacities (qm) ranging between 15.72 and 63.22 μg g^-1 with the 180th minute being the adequate time to obtain the carbon with the best surface properties and the best adsorption capacity. Additionally, it was observed that each material can be reused up to five times in accordance with the results from the reuse cycles.

Ultrafast Ratiometric Detection of Aflatoxin B1 Based on Fluorescent β-CD@Cu Nanoparticles and Pt2+ Ions

Rapid detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a very important task in food safety monitoring. However, it is still challenging to achieve highly sensitive detection without antibody or aptamer biomolecules. In this work, a rapid detection of aflatoxin B1 was achieved using a ratiometric fluorescence probe without antibody or aptamer for the first time. In the ratiometric fluorescence system, the fluorescence emission of AFB1 at 433 nm was significantly enhanced due to the β-cyclodextrin-AFB1 host-guest interaction and the complexation of AFB1 and Pt²⁺. Meanwhile, the inclusion of aflatoxin B1 also quenched the fluorescence emission of β-CD@Cu nanoparticles (NPs) at 650 nm based on inner filter effect mechanism. On the basis of the above effects, the ratiometric detection of aflatoxin B1 was achieved in the range of 0.03-10 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 0.012 ng/mL (3σ/s). In addition, the β-CD@Cu NPs based nanoprobe could achieve stable response within 1 min to AFB1. The above ratiometric detection also demonstrated excellent application potential in the rapid on-site detection of AFB1 in food due to the advantages of convenience, rapidness, and high accuracy.

Visual detection of aflatoxin B1 and zearalenone via activating a new catalytic reaction of “naked” DNAzyme

It was found for the first time that the catalytic activity of “naked” DNAzyme can be modulated by aflatoxins and zearalenone to generate different color changes, which could be applied to the visual detection for the above two analytes.

Recent technological advances in mechanism, toxicity, and food perspectives of enzyme-mediated aflatoxin degradation

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus section Flavi that contaminates a wide variety of food and feed products and is responsible for serious health and economic consequences. Fermented foods are prepared with a wide variety of substrates over a long fermentation time and are thus vulnerable to contamination by aflatoxin-producing fungi, leading to the production of aflatoxin B1. The mitigation and control of aflatoxin is currently a prime focus for developing safe aflatoxin-free food. This review summarizes the role of major aflatoxin-degrading enzymes such as laccase, peroxidase, and lactonase, and microorganisms in the context of their application in food. A putative mechanism of enzyme-mediated aflatoxin degradation and toxicity evaluation of the degraded products are also extensively discussed to evaluate the safety of degradation processes for food applications. The review also describes aflatoxin-degrading microorganisms isolated from fermented products and investigates their applicability in food as aflatoxin preventing agents. Furthermore, a summary of recent technological advancements in protein engineering, nanozymes, in silico and statistical optimization approaches are explored to improve the industrial applicability of aflatoxin-degrading enzymes.

Nanobiotechnological advancements in agriculture and food industry: Applications, nanotoxicity, and future perspectives

The high demand for sufficient and safe food, and continuous damage of environment by conventional agriculture are major challenges facing the globe. The necessity of smart alternatives and more sustainable practices in food production is crucial to confront the steady increase in human population and careless depletion of global resources. Nanotechnology implementation in agriculture offers smart delivery systems of nutrients, pesticides, and genetic materials for enhanced soil fertility and protection, along with improved traits for better stress tolerance. Additionally, nano-based sensors are the ideal approach towards precision farming for monitoring all factors that impact on agricultural productivity. Furthermore, nanotechnology can play a significant role in post-harvest food processing and packaging to reduce food contamination and wastage. In this review, nanotechnology applications in the agriculture and food sector are reviewed. Implementations of nanotechnology in agriculture have included nano- remediation of wastewater for land irrigation, nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, and nanosensors, while the beneficial effects of nanomaterials (NMs) in promoting genetic traits, germination, and stress tolerance of plants are discussed. Furthermore, the article highlights the efficiency of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanozymes in food processing and packaging. To this end, the potential risks and impacts of NMs on soil, plants, and human tissues and organs are emphasized in order to unravel the complex bio-nano interactions. Finally, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of nanotechnology are evaluated and discussed to provide a broad and clear view of the nanotechnology potentials, as well as future directions for nano-based agri-food applications towards sustainability.

Adsorptive removal of aflatoxin B1 from vegetable oils via novel adsorbents derived from a metal-organic framework

Vegetable oils are essential daily diet, but they are simply contaminated with aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), a serious toxic compound to human health. Adsorption method due to the easy operation, high efficiency and low costing is set to become a main detoxification technique for AFB₁. Unfortunately, previous reported adsorbents were rarely used for detoxification in food industry since they cannot meet the criteria of large-scale production of edible oils. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with unique textural properties could be favorable precursors for synthesis of advanced materials. In this research, three kinds of Cu-BTC MOF-derived porous materials were prepared by different carbonization temperature and characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. Isotherm and kinetic studies on the adsorption behaviour of AFB₁ onto the three porous carbonaceous materials have been systematically conducted. The results revealed that the porous carbonaceous materials could act as the excellent adsorbents that were of enough adsorption sites for AFB₁, mainly due to the hierarchical porous structure and large surface areas for the enhancement of adsorption capacity. Notably, the porous carbonaceous materials could not only remove more than 90% of AFB₁ from real vegetable oils within 30 min, but also remain the treated oils at low cytotoxicity. Meanwhile, the detoxification process could little affect the quality of oils. Thus, the Cu-BTC MOF-derived porous carbonaceous materials with high efficiency, safe, practical and economic characteristics could be novel potential adsorbents used in the application of AFB₁ removal from contaminated vegetable oils.

Sequential Ultrafiltration-Catalysis Membrane for Excellent Removal of Multiple Pollutants in Water

Clean water production calls for highly efficient and less energy-intensive technologies. Herein, a novel concept of a sequential ultrafiltration-catalysis membrane is developed by loading Co₃O₄/C@SiO₂ yolk-shell nanoreactors into the fingerlike channels of a polymeric ultrafiltration membrane. Such a sequenced structure design successfully integrates selective separation with peroxymonosulfate-based catalysis to prepare a functionalized molecular sieve membrane, which exhibits excellent decontamination performance toward multipollutants by filtering the water matrices containing humic acid (HA) and bisphenol A (BPA). In this study, 100% rejection of HA and 95% catalytic degradation of BPA were achieved under a low pressure of 0.14 MPa and an ultrahigh flux of 229 L m^-2 h^-1, corresponding to a retention time of 3.1 s. Notably, the removal performance of multiple pollutants essentially depends on the ordered arrangement of ultrafiltration and catalysis. Moreover, the flow-through process demonstrated significant enhancement of BPA degradation kinetics, which is 21.9 times higher than that of a conventional batch reactor. This study provides a novel strategy for excellent removal of multiple pollutants in water.

Introducing reticular chemistry into agrochemistry

For survival and quality of life, human society has sought more productive, precise, and sustainable agriculture. Agrochemistry, which solves farming issues in a chemical manner, is the core engine that drives the evolution of modern agriculture. To date, agrochemistry has utilized chemical technologies in the form of pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs and various functional materials to meet fundamental demands from human society, while increasing the socio-ecological consequences due to inefficient use. Thus, more useful, precise, and designable scaffolding materials are required to support sustainable agrochemistry. Reticular chemistry, which weaves molecular units into frameworks, has been applied in many fields based on two cutting-edge porous framework materials, namely metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs). With flexibility in composition, structure, and pore chemistry, MOFs and COFs have shown increasing functionalities associated with agrochemistry in the last decade, potentially introducing reticular chemistry as a highly accessible chemical toolbox into agrochemical technologies. In this critical review, we will demonstrate how reticular chemistry shapes the future of agrochemistry in the fields of farm sensing, agro-ecological preservation and reutilization, agrochemical formulations, smart indoor farming, agrobiotechnology, and beyond.

Novel strategies for degradation of aflatoxins in food and feed: A review

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites mainly produced by Aspergillus fungi, posing high carcinogenic potency in humans and animals. Dietary exposure to aflatoxins is a global problem in both developed and developing countries especially where there is poor regulation of their levels in food and feed. Thus, academics have been striving over the decades to develop effective strategies for degrading aflatoxins in food and feed. These strategies are technologically diverse and based on physical, chemical, or biological principles. This review summarizes the recent progress on novel aflatoxin degradation strategies including irradiation, cold plasma, ozone, electrolyzed oxidizing water, organic acids, natural plant extracts, microorganisms and enzymes. A clear understanding of the detoxification efficiency, mechanism of action, degradation products, application potential and current limitations of these methods is presented. In addition, the development and future perspective of nanozymes in aflatoxins degradation are introduced.

Biocatalytic membrane: Go far beyond enzyme immobilization

Biocatalytic membrane takes advantages of reaction-separation integration as well as enzyme immobilization, which has attracted increasing attentions in online detection and biomanufacturing. However, the high preparation cost, inferior comprehensive performance, and low stability limit its applications. Thus, besides enzyme immobilization, more efforts should be made in biocatalytic membrane configuration design for a specific application to enhance the synergistic effect of reaction and separation and improve its operating stability. This review summarized the recent progress on biocatalytic membrane preparation, discussed different membrane configurations for various applications, finally proposed several challenges and possible solutions, which provided directions and guides for the development and industrialization of biocatalytic membrane.

Peroxidase-like Activity of Metal-Organic Framework [Cu(PDA)(DMF)] and Its Application for Colorimetric Detection of Dopamine

A metal-organic framework (MOF) [Cu(PDA)(DMF)] was synthesized under mild mixed solvothermal conditions. It is constructed by 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid (H₂PDA) and Cu²⁺ ions. The complex exhibits high peroxidase-like activity and can catalytically oxidize the colorless substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine to a blue product in the presence of H₂O₂. However, the peroxidase-like activity of [Cu(PDA)(DMF)] can be potently inhibited in the presence of dopamine. Based on this phenomenon, the colorimetric detection of dopamine was demonstrated with good selectivity and high sensitivity. [Cu(PDA)(DMF)] showed good stability and robust catalytic activity, which has been employed in the detection of dopamine in human urine and pharmaceutical samples.