Functional nanocomposites for Ochratoxin A removal from wine: design strategies, mechanisms, and application challenges

Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination remains a major challenge for wine safety due to its high stability and toxicity. Conventional removal methods often compromise wine quality or face scalability limitations, whereas functional nanocomposites have emerged as an increasingly investigated approach for OTA removal. By integrating high-surface-area matrices, specific recognition elements, and stimuli-responsive components, these materials may address several limitations of traditional adsorbents. This review summarizes recent advances in functional nanocomposites for OTA removal from wine, highlighting key design strategies and representative material systems, including inorganic hybrids, crystalline porous frameworks, and multifunctional platforms. The underlying mechanisms and critical factors influencing adsorption performance in complex wine matrices are discussed, together with practical challenges related to material stability, sensory quality preservation, and biosafety. Although promising results have been achieved at the laboratory scale, commercialization is still limited by cost, performance stability, and regulatory uncertainties. Future research should emphasize green synthesis, rational material design, and comprehensive safety evaluation.