High‐Efficiency Enrichment Device for Foodborne Pathogens: Nanocellulose‐Chitosan Aerogel as the Core

ABSTRACT This study presents the development of a novel material capable of efficiently enriching and recovering pathogenic bacteria from food matrices without requiring surface modification of biological components or complex chemical conjugation. A nanocellulose‐based chitosan aerogel (CNF‐CS) is synthesized via cross‐linking of nanocellulose, extracted from pulp, with chitosan. The CNF‐CS aerogel enables selective adsorption of negatively charged bacterial cells through electrostatic interactions. When integrated with a custom‐designed micro‐injection extrusion enrichment device, the system achieves rapid and efficient enrichment and recovery of foodborne pathogens. The CNF‐CS aerogel‐based system demonstrated a high enrichment efficiency of (96.30 ± 1.01)% and an elution rate of (89.16 ± 3.08)% for target pathogens. The entire enrichment and elution process is completed within (6.16 ± 0.05) min using 800 mL liquid samples or complex real‐food matrices, including milk, watermelon, and oyster. Furthermore, the constituent materials of the CNF‐CS aerogel are environmentally benign, biodegradable, and derived from sustainable sources. The aerogel can be tailored in terms of size, shape, and thickness to meet specific application requirements, highlighting its adaptability and strong potential for practical implementation and widespread adoption.