Optical probe based multiplex monitoring platforms for agricultural products: detection strategies from fabrication to spectroscopic applications

The advancement of multiplex detection platforms represents a critical frontier in precision diagnostics and environmental monitoring, driven by nanoscale fabrication and spectroscopic innovations. However, traditional single-analyte methods remain inadequate for complex real-world matrices where multiple analytes coexist. This review systematically deconstructs recent progress in integrated sensing systems through 3 core technical dimensions: 1) Fabrication and heterostructure assembly, where controlled synthesis (templating, kinetic regulation, phase engineering), directed assembly (interfacial effects, biological programming), and heterostructure design (plasmonic-catalytic-porous synergies) enable electromagnetic hotspot generation, signal amplification, and selective enrichment; 2) Performance enhancement, leveraging engineered interfaces for specificity, nanostructures for ultrasensitive amplification, deep learning-aided spectral decoding, and matrix interference suppression; and 3) Cross-platform applications, spanning surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) (flexible substrates, composites), fluorescence, and colorimetric sensors (nanozymes, portable assays) for multi-target detection in fields like agricultural monitoring. Despite attomolar sensitivity and field-deployable advances, persistent challenges include the “trilemma” of functionality-robustness-scalability trade-offs, material stability, reproducible fabrication, and real-sample validation. By critically evaluating these mechanisms and limitations, this work provides a theoretical blueprint for next-generation intelligent detection platforms and prioritizes future research toward modular designs, multimodal synergy, and scalable manufacturing.