Lateral flow assays (LFAs), as miniaturized paper-based sensing platforms, have introduced simple, effective, and point-of-care testing (POCT) devices for detecting various targets, including contaminants, pathogens, antibiotic residues, and pesticide residues, in complex food matrices. The principle of operation in these assays relies on a signal reporting label, which plays a crucial role in improving the sensitivity of the detection approach. However, conventional LFA signal labels often exhibit insufficient sensitivity when detecting biomarkers at low concentrations. The integration of aggregation-induced luminescence (AIE) materials into the structure of LFAs has enabled sensitive and selective analytical methods for a variety of assay applications. The increase in luminescence intensity in aggregated states is accompanied by a high signal-to-noise ratio and excellent photostability. Additionally, their high quantum yields (QYs) and strong fluorescence make them well-suited for various optical sensors based on LFAs, including both colorimetric and fluorescence-based LFAs. This review explores the potential of AIE materials in LFAs for food safety analysis. It also provides a detailed discussion of the operational principles of both AIE materials and LFAs. Furthermore, the design of these platforms and their recent advancements in food safety applications are thoroughly reviewed.
Eltom et al. (Sun,) studied this question.