The global burden of foodborne diseases necessitates the development of rapid, sensitive, and field-deployable detection technologies to ensure food safety. Conventional methods for pathogen detection, such as cell culture, polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, are often limited by long analysis times, complex instrumentation, and the inherent instability of biological reagents. Electrochemical immunosensors have emerged as a powerful alternative, offering high sensitivity, low cost, and portability. A significant leap forward in this field has been the integration of nanozymes nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-mimicking catalytic activities—as robust signal amplification agents. This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of recent advances in nanozyme-amplified electrochemical immunosensors for the detection of major foodborne pathogens. The discussion begins by outlining the architectural principles of these sensors, including the classification and catalytic properties of various nanozymes such as those based on metal oxides, noble metals, carbon nanomaterials, and metal-organic frameworks. A central focus is placed on elucidating the catalytic mechanisms of peroxidase-mimicking nanozymes, which are pivotal for signal generation. The review then systematically surveys state-of-the-art applications for the detection of key pathogens, including Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, critically evaluating their analytical performance in complex food matrices. Finally, this review addresses the persistent challenges facing the field, such as mitigating matrix effects, ensuring long-term stability, and overcoming hurdles to commercialization. A forward-looking perspective is provided, highlighting next-generation developments, including the rational design of single-atom nanozymes, integration with microfluidic systems for automation, and the potential for multiplexed detection, which collectively promise to revolutionize food safety monitoring.
He et al. (Sun,) studied this question.