Microrobots in food science: From proof of concept to processing line
A review published in Nature Food charts the progress of autonomous micro- and nanorobots across three critical domains – food safety monitoring, pathogen removal and food processing – whilst identifying the technical and regulatory barriers that must be resolved before the technology can be deployed at industrial scale.
Self-propelled microrobots capable of detecting contaminants, eliminating pathogens and accelerating enzymatic reactions are moving closer to practical application in the food industry, according to a comprehensive review published in Nature Food by researchers from Brno University of Technology, VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, and collaborating institutions.
The review, authored by Roberto Maria-Hormigos, Carmen C. Mayorga-Martinez and Martin Pumera, examines a rapidly expanding body of experimental work demonstrating that miniaturised robotic platforms – operating at the micrometre scale – can outperform static analytical methods across multiple food science applications. As the authors note, “recent innovations using functional materials to construct nano- and microrobots of different shapes and sizes show substantial improvements in optimising various food processes.”
Contaminant detection and food safety monitoring
A central finding of the review is that microrobot motion fundamentally enhances sensing performance. By inducing micromixing through their propulsion, microrobots improve mass transfer to electrode or fluorescent sensor surfaces, reducing detection times and increasing analytical sensitivity compared with conventional biosensors.
Specific examples include magnesium/gold microrobots that detect diphenyl phthalate (DPP) pesticide in milk and whisky with close to 100% accuracy, and manganese–iron oxide microrobots that reduce arsenic extraction from rice samples from several hours to under 1.5 hours, achieving 88% accuracy against certified reference materials.
Aptamer-functionalised graphene/platinum tubular microrobots have been applied to simultaneous detection of the mycotoxins ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) in beer, wine and certified reference matrices. The assay completes in just two minutes and achieves sensitivity at the ng ml-¹ scale, with accuracy of 96–98% relative to certified reference values – performance the authors describe as underscoring “the critical role of miniaturised robotic surfaces and their functionalisation in devising analytical methods for food safety monitoring.” Graphene quantum dot (GQD) Janus microrobots have also been demonstrated for bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) detection in milk, mayonnaise, egg yolk and egg white, using a fluorescence off–on switching mechanism responsive to Salmonella enterica contamination.
Pathogen removal and food preservation
The review documents several microrobot systems engineered for direct pathogen elimination. Magneto-catalytic graphene oxide/platinum/iron oxide microrobots, functionalised with the antimicrobial peptide nisin, achieved efficient removal of Staphylococcus aureus from juice samples within 20 minutes. A magnetically actuated swarming system removed 60% of S. aureus from milk after one hour without disrupting the natural milk microbiota – a significant consideration for dairy processing, given that S. aureus is known to survive standard pasteurisation.
For Listeria monocytogenes, screw-shaped Fe₃O₄-spirulina magnetic microrobots combined fluorescence-based detection with near-infrared (NIR) photothermal sterilisation, achieving close to 100% bacterial eradication in just 60 seconds – substantially faster than conventional pasteurisation – whilst causing less modification to the food’s natural proteins.
In brewing, BiVO₄/Fe₃O₄ microrobots propelled by combined light and magnetic fields captured and removed yeast cells from non-filtered beer with greater than 90% efficiency. Critically, residual vanadium and iron traces in the treated beer remained within permitted limits, with no measurable changes to final product properties.
Food processing applications
Microrobot platforms have also been applied to active food processing. β-Galactosidase-functionalised tubular microrobots achieved lactose hydrolysis in milk within 20–25 minutes, surpassing the performance of free enzyme under mechanical stirring. In fermentation, yeast-encapsulating alginate/Fe₃O₄ ‘BioBots’ demonstrated a continuous oscillatory motion driven by CO₂ production, accelerating beer fermentation by several hours relative to free yeast and enabling magnetic retrieval of the biocatalyst at process completion.
Challenges and industrial implications
The authors are explicit about the obstacles that remain. Chief among these is scalability: “despite progress in mass production, the synthesis and functionalisation of microrobots still lack the scalability needed for widespread food industry applications.” Many current designs rely on metallic or inorganic components requiring continuous ion-release monitoring to prevent food matrix contamination. The use of hydrogen peroxide as a propulsion fuel – common across many demonstrated systems – presents a further hurdle, as residual fuel removal adds process complexity.
The review calls for development of biocompatible polymeric or protein-based microrobots to mitigate heavy metal contamination risks, and identifies 3D printing as a manufacturing route with scalability potential. The authors also identify machine learning integration into navigation systems as a future research priority. Ultimately, they conclude that “miniaturised robotics technology holds promise for food safety control, contaminant elimination for food preservation and the advancement of food-processing techniques.”
Reference
Maria-Hormigos, R., Mayorga-Martinez, C. C., Pumera, M., et. al. (2025). Microrobots in food science and technology. Nature Food, 6, 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01261-5
