Overview
Guo and co-authors reviewed the development and challenges of food contaminant removal technologies, with focus on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as selective adsorbents for heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, and plasticizers. Lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic are identified as the four major food heavy metal contaminants. The review synthesizes evidence for MIP adsorption performance and critically evaluates translation from aqueous model systems to food matrices. This is a technology review without primary food contamination occurrence data.
Key findings
Lead (lead) is identified as the most widespread and potent food heavy metal contaminant in the review’s framing. Sources include soil, irrigation water, industrial emissions, and packaging migration. Cadmium (cadmium) is the second most studied; mercury (mercury) and arsenic (As) are also addressed. The four metals are described as non-degradable and bioaccumulative with kidney, nervous system, and carcinogenic endpoints.
MIP performance for heavy metals in aqueous model systems: lead(II)-imprinted acrylic acid/acrylonitrile composite achieved Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of 150.34 mg/g versus 41.79 mg/g for the non-imprinted control; relative selectivity coefficient 5 to 9 against nickel, zinc, and copper. Mercury(II)-imprinted MoS2/SBA-15 achieved capacity of 568 mg/g with 97% equilibrium uptake in 90 min. These are aqueous-system results; no MIP heavy-metal study in this review demonstrated food-safe bulk decontamination at pilot scale.
The review warns that analytical extraction recovery in model systems must not be conflated with food decontamination efficacy. Most MIP heavy-metal evidence is at proof-of-binding level (aqueous solution) or analytical cleanup level; none is at validated food processing scale.
Methods (brief)
Narrative review and evidence-level classification of contaminant removal technologies. No primary experiment. Evidence-level framework: Level 0 (proof of binding in water) through Level 4 (commercial application). Heavy metal MIP evidence classified as Level 0 to Level 1 in the review.
Evidence fitness
Supports: context that lead, cadmium, mercury, and As are the primary target heavy metals in food contaminant removal research; MIP technology is an emerging but unvalidated approach for food heavy metal removal at scale. Does not support: food occurrence values, dose-response thresholds, or regulatory limit derivation. Not a primary contamination study.
Related evidence
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