Applications of molecularly imprinted polymers and perspectives for their use as food quality trackers
Résumé
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), often referred to as “artificial” or “plastic” antibodies, are synthetic alternatives to natural receptors. Based on the “key-and-lock” principle, a template is imprinted into a polymer, which is then able to selectively bind to a target molecule. Over the past 50 years, MIPs have continued to attract attention in both academic research and commercial applications. MIPs have a wide range of applications in analytical chemistry, medicine, and pharmaceutics, as well as in the environment. This paper highlights the new perspectives offered by molecularly imprinting technology to food science. Food analysis is challenging because of the complexity of food matrices and the low concentration of analytes. MIPs are ideally suited to overcome both of these issues because of their high selectivity and sensitivity. Furthermore, MIPs could greatly benefit the entire food chain as a tool to ensure food safety, quality, and traceability, while reducing food waste.