Latest Insights and New Horizons: Recent Advances on Metal–Organic Framework-Driven Sensors for Rapid Early Warning of Mycotoxins in Foods

In recent years, the harm caused by mycotoxins to people cannot be ignored, and agricultural products contaminated by them are often highly toxic to humans. In this context, the requirements for the detection of mycotoxins in food production have gradually improved. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer the advantages of structural design flexibility and integrated functional synergies, enabling them to satisfy the stringent material specifications for the aforementioned nanomaterial sensing technologies. This paper summarizes the latest research on MOF-driven sensors (MDsensors) for early mycotoxin detection in food, covering MOF merits, synthesis techniques, sensing mechanisms, enhancement strategies, and potential applications in food safety early warning systems. Notably, this paper emphasizes the performance merits of MOFs and the working principles of MDsensors, subsequently summarizing their applications in detecting mycotoxins to enhance food safety. Finally, it looks ahead to the prospects of integration with technologies such as portable devices and artificial intelligence.