Molecularly imprinted polymers for food applications: A review

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are bio-inspired synthetic materials capable of being selectively attached to a target molecule. These materials are synthesized by using a template molecule (the same target molecule or a dummy template molecule (similar structure to the target molecule)), a crosslinker, a functional monomer and an initiator via different polymerization mechanisms (mainly free radical polymerization (FRP) and reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP, such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), iniferter polymerization, nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization)) and methods (e.g. bulk polymerization, emulsion polymerization, Pickering emulsion polymerization, precipitation, surface imprinting, suspension polymerization). Different MIP structures (hydrogels, membranes (electrospun nanofibers and films) and particles (core-shell and hollow-shell nanoparticles, microbeads, nanopillars and nanotubes)) for food applications (sensors for the detection of food contaminants and the quantification of food nutrients and nutraceuticals, active food packaging applications and sample preparation: removal, preconcentration and detection of target analytes) were comprehensively reviewed and analyzed based on the literature published during the last six years (2016–2021), and highlighting other pioneering or interesting works from other dates. MIPs have been used primarily in food chemistry as a valuable tool for sample preparation, and other food applications are booming. Finally, the final properties of the resulting MIPs are determined by the selected polymerization method, the ratio of the reagents used and the designed structure.